Untouchable
by parrillajayma
Summary: Regina sacrifices her life in order to save Henry. Overcome with grief, Emma realizes she can see & communicate with Regina's ghost, though no one else can. The two women gradually fall in love, but will they be able to overcome the barrier between life and death? Loosely based on 'Just Like Heaven.' Set immediately after the S2 finale.
1. Prologue

**Hi guys. So, I'm relatively new to the Swan Queen fandom. Well, I guess it has been almost a year but I've never written a SQ fic before! This is my first Once Upon a Time fic as well, so be nice with the reviews. :p I am very excited for this story, though, and I know the beginning is a little ehh but please stick with it I promise it will get better! There will be Swan Queen, of course, in later chapters, lots of romance, some smut, and even some humor too. It isn't ****_all_**** sad! Happy reading!**

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Prologue

"You okay?"

Regina immediately looked up at the sound of the blonde woman's voice, and her expression of pain and discomfort morphed into one of surprise. Her lips pressed together, she let her eyes linger on the woman in the doorway.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little seasick."

Emma bit her lip, not sure if she was welcome inside the small room, one of the many inside Hook's huge ship. She remained safely in the doorway, her body leaning on the wall.

"I have…" Emma put a hand inside her coat pocket, fishing around until she pulled out a small bottle of pills. "I used to get carsick when the drives were long from one foster home to the next. Two of these usually did the trick."

Regina looked up hesitantly, then gave a small tip of her head, subtly inviting Emma into the cozy room. She took the bottle gratefully, offering the savior a smile, small but genuine. Emma smiled back, now inside the room but still feeling a bit uncomfortable in the tight quarters. She hesitantly took a seat on the small bunk next to Regina's.

"So um, this is new," Emma said with a small chuckle.

"What?" Regina's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Being on the same side as you. You know, just not trying to kill each other."

"Miss Swan, if I wanted to kill you, I could easily do so."

"I… don't doubt it," Emma said quickly, her eyes widening a bit. They sat in silence for a moment while Regina swallowed the pills Emma gave her.

"Miss Swan… may I ask you something?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, if you stop calling me Miss Swan. I've told you a million times, just call me Emma. Miss Swan just makes me feel… weird."

Regina sighed in exasperation. "Of course you dislike anything that's _proper_."

"Regina, did you want to ask me something or not."

Regina looked at Emma, biting her lip. Emma stared back, trying to discern Regina's unreadable emotions. After what felt like an eternity she finally spoke up.

"Why did you come back for me?"

"Huh?" Confusion was evident on Emma's face.

"In the mines. I told you to go on without me. Why did you come back for me? Why would you risk your life, everyone's lives, just to make sure I lived?"

The question caught Emma off guard. She opened and closed her mouth, not sure what to say.

"I, um…" she took a small breath. "I don't know. I guess it was just the right thing to do. You… you weren't ready to die, Regina. You didn't deserve to die."

"But I was ready." Regina's voice was insistent. "I was ready to die if it meant Henry could be happy. I still am. I would gladly give my life for Henry. Every time."

Emma looked into her eyes, her sincere brown pools. Regina truly was a good person. She truly was trying her very hardest to change. It was too bad no one else could see it.

"You're a good mother, Regina," Emma said in a soft voice.

"I'm glad you're finally realizing it." Regina was back to her confident drawl.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I guess cockiness _is_ one of the Evil Queen's well known traits."

"Was there a reason you walked in here and invaded my privacy, Miss Swan?" Obviously the vulnerability and softness was long gone, a fleeting moment.

"Does there have to be? I'm just trying to be nice."

Regina gave Emma a look of disbelief.

"Okay, fine. Hook wanted me to tell you that we're almost there. About an hour away. Everyone's up on the deck, if you want to join us whenever Your Majesty desires." The mocking tone was evident in Emma's voice, and Regina gave an overly sweet smile, rolling her eyes at the immature woman.

"Tell the pirate I'll be up in a minute."

"As you wish, your majesty," Emma made a big show of bowing out of the room, unsuccessfully trying to hold back a chuckle at Regina's far from amused face.

After a short while, the large pirate ship reached the shores of Neverland at last. The air was chilly and dark, and somehow stifling, as if it was almost hard to breathe. Nothing could be heard except for the ominous lapping of the ocean against the boat and the faraway cries of children that missed their homes.

The mismatched team disembarked from the ship, Hook leading the way, Rumplestiltskin following, Snow and Charming close behind, and Emma and Regina in the rear.

Although they were a random and odd team, they did make quite an effective group, and within a few hours they were able to locate where Tamara, Greg, and Henry were.

Thanks mostly to Snow and Charming, they had tracked them all the way to what seemed to be a huge cave deep within the island. Just before they were about to enter, Rumple turned around to give the rescue team a quick warning.

"Careful, dearies. This force we're dealing with… it's something we should all fear. It's powers are tricky, and that's what makes it dangerous."

Hook simply raised his eyebrow and turned around to go in. Snow and Charming squeezed each other's hands in preparation. Emma and Regina shared a quick glance.

After going through a multitude of obstacles and fighting several Lost Boys, the team finally reached their destination. The back of the cave was tall and spacious. As Emma glanced around, she spotted Greg and Tamara standing in the back, their arms crossed, looking determined and solemn. No one else was there except for a dark hooded figure who seemed to be flying, and another figure suspended in the air, tied up with thick rope holding him up, dangling from the roof of the cave with a black sack over his head.

Both Emma and Regina saw him first, and seeing the small legs kicking helplessly around in the air, they both feared the same thing. Their fear was confirmed when the flying hooded figure cackled evilly and threw the sack off of the boy's head.

"HENRY!" Emma cried, rushing forward.

At the sound of Emma's scream, all four people in the cave turned towards the rescue team, noticing them for the first time.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" The hooded figure drawled in a deep, intimidating tone. "A cute little rescue team come to save poor little Henry."

Emma ran even closer to the figure, Regina right on her heels. Upon nearing them, they could see that Henry's mouth was taped and sturdy rope bound his whole torso.

"You will _not_ hurt our son," Emma hissed.

The figure threw his head back and laughed, a deep, throaty sound that made everyone cringe.

"Well, that's where you're wrong, sweetheart."

"Who are you!" Regina called out from slightly behind Emma. Her voice was strong, but showed signs of cracking.

"Me? Well, I'm Peter Pan of course!" the figure roared, floating comfortably in the air. "_Lower him!"_

Immediately, the rope holding Henry up began to lower, slowly but surely, until he was able to stand on the ground. However, the bindings still held him in place. They could see his face clearly now, and his eyes were wide with fear. He made muffled sounds from behind the tape, struggling as hard as he could to free himself.

"Henry!" Emma cried again and ran to him, only to be blasted backwards by Peter Pan.

"_Stay away from the child,"_ Peter Pan growled.

"Regina, can't you use magic? Blast this asshole outta here!" Emma muttered.

"I-I can't. My magic isn't working inside this cave. There's something stopping it." Her voice was panicked, and she looked over at Rumple, realizing he was having the same problem. Regina's heart dropped to her stomach and her eyes widened as she came to the realization that she would have to save Henry without using a stitch of magic.

Peter Pan chuckled gleefully and raised his arm, gold sparks emitting from his gloved fingers.

"Now," he hissed, "the child dies."

"NO!" Regina sprinted forward, pushing Charming and Hook out of the way as she did. The evil figure cackled one last time and then forcefully brought his arm down, pointing at Henry, but not before Regina leapt forward, pushing Henry out of the way, catching the intense golden blast of magic herself.

"REGINA!" Emma screamed, her eyes wide with fear.

As the gold blast hit Regina square in the chest, she was blasted backward a few feet and fell on the ground, unconscious. But the blast also somehow ricocheted off of her and back at the evil Peter Pan, and everyone's eyes in the room widened as they watched the magic turn the oh so powerful dark figure into a mound of glittery dust.

Greg and Tamara quickly scampered out of the room, and as much as the team wanted to go after them, they knew they were all needed here, to help Regina and Henry.

Emma rushed over to Henry, freeing him from the rope and pulling the tape off of his mouth. His eyes were filled with tears and he immediately pulled Emma in for a hug once he was free of the rope. It was only a few seconds, though, before he realized his other mom had been the true savior of his life this time, and pulled away from Emma.

"Mom!" Henry cried, running over to where his dark-haired mother lay on the ground, eyes closed, face pale.

The rest of the adults quickly followed suit, running over to Regina. All were worried for her, but Rumple less than the rest. He was more intrigued by what had just happened to Peter Pan.

"Love," he murmured to himself. "Truly is the most powerful magic of all." He shook his head like he couldn't believe it.

"Regina," Emma breathed, her face crumpling in pain, tears threatening to fall from her wide eyes. "No." She ran over to the still woman, her heart thumping wildly. This couldn't be happening. Why was this happening? Regina couldn't die. She couldn't. She was just on the verge of turning her life around. Of truly being a good, decent person. Perhaps even more than that.

Snow, Charming, Rumple, and Hook all stood solemnly a few feet away as Emma and Henry crouched by Regina's side, not able to function what was happening.

"Mom, no, please, no," Henry pleaded, tears cascading down his pink cheeks.

Upon seeing Henry's pain, the tears rushed out of Emma's eyes and she put a hand on Henry's shoulder. He didn't deserve to have this heartbreak. She felt Regina's pulse, put her head down to Regina's chest, tried everything, trying to catch a glimpse of life in the unmoving woman. Nothing.

"Henry, I… I'm sorry," Emma whispered, tears glistening on her cheeks. "She's… she's gone."

"No!" The pain in Henry's voice made all the adults close their eyes in sympathy.

"Mom, I love you. I love you Mom." Henry cried over the pale face. "You saved me. You sacrificed yourself for me. You're a hero." He cried even harder, then fell dejectedly into Emma's arms, his sobs muffled by her strong body.

"She wasn't supposed to die," he sobbed into her strong embrace.

"I know, Henry," Emma's voice cracked. "I know."

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**Reviews are much appreciated! The more reviews, the faster I tend to put a new chapter up. :)**


	2. Chapter 1

_"Untouchable, like a distant diamond sky.  
I'm reaching out and I just can't tell you why."_

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The turnout was surprisingly large.

The small church, Storybrooke's only place of worship, was completely full of the town's residents, all wearing dark clothing, eyes lowered, heads bowed in mourning. Every last pew was occupied.

When word had gotten out that Regina was willing to sacrifice herself to save the entire town, Storybrooke's citizens had felt extremely grateful. They had started to believe that the Evil Queen truly had taken a turn for the better. And now that she had actually sacrificed herself to save her son, a beloved child within the small town, everyone knew it was true. Regina really was a good person, a noble savior. And so because of this, many came to pay their respects to the courageous woman at her funeral.

The Charmings occupied the very front row, the ones most devastated about their recent loss. Charming and Snow sat squeezing each other's hands, tears falling down Snow's pale white face. Next to Snow sat Henry, his face contorted with pain and heartbreak, and next to him, with an arm comfortingly around his shoulder was Emma, wearing her solemn black pea coat, her mouth pressed in a straight line.

The past few days had been a nightmare for Emma. She couldn't seem to get her emotions under control; she couldn't even comprehend them. Right away, she felt sick with grief, which was unexpected. She hadn't realized how much the brunette meant to her until she was gone.

At first, Emma had attributed her grief to sympathy for Henry, since he had lost his mother, and she hated seeing the kid so depressed. And it was really extremely difficult for Emma to see him that way. She hated herself for letting Regina give herself up, for allowing this to happen. But then Emma realized it was more than that.

Whenever she thought about the brave mayor, she felt a painful stab to her heart. She thought back to their last conversation in that tiny room in Hook's ship. Their sarcastic yet light jibes, then Regina's fleeting vulnerability. In the past week, Emma had seen the true Regina. The raw, legitimate core of the woman, without the magic, without the pressure, without the evil. She saw her true colors, and they were indeed beautiful. Regina was ultimately an amazing person with a spectacular heart deep within. She had just been covered by so many thick layers of evil and torture, but those layers were finally starting to peel off. She was finally becoming good again, only to have it all taken away.

That's what hurt Emma the most. That's what made tears prick her eyes whenever she was reminded of the woman's death. Regina's end had come way too soon. Just when she and the brunette were starting to… what? Connect? Emma didn't know. But something had changed between them after they saved the town together with their joint magic.

They had had potential. For what, Emma had no clue. But for _something_. Something other than fighting over Henry, or throwing insults at each other. But now, there was nothing. No potential, no hope, no future. Regina was gone. And she wasn't coming back.

Again, tears threatened to spill over but Emma dogmatically forced them back, knowing she had to stay strong for her son. Henry couldn't see her break. She tried to listen to Archie's kind words about Regina, but hearing them only worsened Emma's pain. So she tuned him out. She couldn't think about Regina, about what could have been. She had to stop dwelling on this, it was eating her alive.

"…not only a stellar mother and a caring town mayor, but an amazing friend." Archie was saying.

What was this? The entire town hated Regina, even while under the curse, and now that she was dead all of a sudden she was a "caring mayor"? Emma made a subtle noise in disbelief. Regina would have laughed if she could hear Archie's words. They were ridiculous. However, Emma's spite could be explained by the fact that Emma was still spiteful and angry at Regina for dying.

"At this time I would like to ask anyone who would like to come up for the candle lighting."

Emma watched as people walked up to the front, lit a candle, then held it over Regina's coffin, saying a quick prayer or a simple sweet send off. Many were most likely thanking her for her sacrifice.

"Emma, honey, it's our turn," Snow whispered, nudging her daughter gently. Emma looked up, her mouth slightly open, her eyes red but cheeks tearless, and followed her parents and son up to the front of the church.

They each lit a candle, then passed by Regina's body. Watching Henry say goodbye to his mother was heartbreaking, but having to say goodbye herself was worse. God, why was she such a wreck over this? She hated the woman, didn't she? They were arch enemies. So why did Regina's death have such an intense effect on her?

Emma finally walked up to the open coffin hesitantly. There lay Regina, beautiful as ever. She wore a simple gray dress, but it hugged the curves of her body and showed off her toned legs wonderfully. The woman looked absolutely regal even in death. Her chocolate colored hair was styled perfectly, framing her face in the most flattering way, and seemed even darker than usual in contrast to her pale, lucid skin. In an odd way, the fairness of her skin made the mayor look even more beautiful. Her eyes were closed peacefully, her long black lashes still, and her full red lips were set almost in a small tranquil smile.

She was stunning, and Emma wondered why she had never noticed it before. She mentally kicked herself for taking the woman for granted. But then again, had she really not noticed the older woman's beauty before this moment? Her mind flickered to the day at the mines, when Regina had stepped right up into Emma's personal space, her face inches from the savior's, and all Emma could do was stare at the woman's plump red lips.

Lips that would never move again. They would never again part to allow for the sound of that sultry, musical voice.

Before Emma knew it, a tear slid down her cheek and dropped silently on Regina's forehead. She hadn't even realized she was crying.

"Emma, it's time to say goodbye." Snow's voice was quiet and full of sympathy and sadness. Emma looked up, surprise written all over her big eyes as she remembered where she was. She sniffled, quickly swiped her tears off of her cheek, and looked back down sadly at the immobile former queen.

"Goodbye, Regina," Emma whispered, another tear falling as she took a deep breath and walked away.

Tough would be an understatement to describe the next couple of days in the Charming household. Although Snow White was the fated mortal enemy of the Evil Queen, even she had grown to accept and even cherish Regina. Her selfless willingness to save the whole town proved her sincerity and good heart, and Snow was finally beginning to think of Regina as family, something Regina had wished for many years ago. So the loss was hard on Snow as well.

Henry spent hours in his bed, tears glistening in his youthful eyes, weighed down by the knowledge that his mom had died in order to allow him to live.

"_This wasn't supposed to happen_," he kept whispering to himself, to no one in particular. Both Snow and Charming tried to comfort him as much as possible, and he seemed to enjoy having his grandparents just there with him, it took a tiny bit of the pain away.

Emma, however, was a different story.

Ever since they had arrived home from the funeral, she had stayed in her tiny bedroom with the door shut, talking to no one, doing nothing except lying on the bed. She had barely kicked off her tall black boots, and hadn't even changed out of her slim-fitting black mini dress. She felt… numb. So she lay there on her bed, eyes trained on the ceiling, trying not to think of Regina.

The next morning, Charming and Snow sat together at the kitchen counter, eating matching plates of eggs, sausage, and toast. The mood in the house was still somber, and Henry was still laying in bed. His grandparents discussed in hushed voices over breakfast, trying to prevent the kid from hearing.

"Seeing him like that breaks my heart," Snow murmured, pushing her eggs around with her fork.

"Me too," Charming said sympathetically, placing a hand on Snow's arm. "I wish there was something we could say, something we could do, anything to make him feel better."

"There isn't," Snow sighed. "He just needs time. She was the Evil Queen to us but she was a mother to him. And if there's anyone who understands about losing a mother, it's us." Snow looked into her husband's eyes sadly.

Charming nodded. "I guess all we can do now is just… be there for him."

"Yes, exactly. And cook for him whenever he decides to finally eat something."

"Yeah, if that happens within the next year," Charming said sarcastically.

"How long has it been now since he's eaten?"

"Ummm..." The former prince chewed on his lip, thinking deeply. "I think he had a pop tart yesterday morning."

"You think?" Snow cocked her head.

"Or at least a couple bites of one."

"Well, maybe it'll work again. I'll stick a couple pop tarts in the toaster, maybe by some miracle Emma will want to eat one."

"I doubt it. She hasn't even left her bedroom since the funeral."

"We can try." Snow shrugged. "And stop talking so loudly. The last thing I want is to upset Henry."

"I still don't understand it, though," Charming pressed on. "Why isn't Emma out here being with him? He just lost one of his mothers, you'd think his other one would want to comfort him as much as possible."

"I don't know," Snow sighed again, shaking her head. "But Emma needs time of her own. She's still fairly new at being a mother, not to mention her reaction to Regina's death has been somewhat of a mystery."

"You could say that again. I mean, they weren't even friends."

"Yeah…" Snow mulled it over in her mind, tilted her head, then got up. "I'm gonna go talk to her."

Emma was laying on her side, her arms tucked under her pillow, when she heard a soft knock on the bedroom door.

"Emma? It's me."

Emma showed no sign that she heard her mother's voice, she just closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Emma, honey. Can I come in?" When no answer was given, Snow cracked open the door and peeked in the room. When she spotted Emma laying dejectedly on the bed, still in her dress from yesterday, she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

"Oh, sweetheart."

"I didn't say you could come in," Emma said crossly, finally sitting up on the bed, bringing her knees to her chest.

"Emma, why don't you change." Snow ignored Emma's cross words. Emma rested her chin on her knees, refusing to speak. She didn't want to confess that she didn't have the energy to put on a change of clothes.

"Emma, are… are you okay?" Snow's voice was soft and searching.

"What? Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, Mary Margaret. I… I don't even know why you sound all pitying and stuff, I'm just… I'm just taking a rest. I'm fine."

Snow let out a small breath and closed her eyes. There was that wall again.

"Emma, you can talk to me. I know Regina's death has had a great effect on you. And I just want you to know I'm here for you."

Emma glanced up at her young mother, biting her lip, not sure what to say.

"I… I just…"

Snow gently sat on the bed next to her daughter, hesitantly putting an arm around her. After a few seconds which seemed like an eternity, Emma finally gave in and leaned into her mother's embrace.

"Emma…" Snow wasn't sure how to say what she wanted to say. "Did you… were you and Regina…?" Her voice trailed off awkwardly.

"No," Emma whispered before she could finish.

Snow rubbed her daughter's arm comfortingly.

"Nothing ever happened." Emma took a breath. "But…"

"But what, honey?"

"I wanted it to," Emma cried out, as if the statement came bursting through her hard shell, finally surfacing as it wanted to.

"Oh, Em…" Snow brought her daughter in even closer, holding her head to her chest as she stroked her hair comfortingly. Emma let the tears fall, finally voicing what she had been feeling for the past couple weeks. She sobbed into her mother's hug, letting herself be comforted and embraced.

"Why did this have to happen," she whispered sadly. "Right when she was changing. Becoming a better person."

"She was a hero, Emma," Snow murmured, planting a kiss on the top of her daughter's head. "She died so Henry could live."

Emma let out a stifled sob, then abruptly pulled away from her mom, getting up off the bed.

"I, um… I have to go," Emma muttered, her nose red and her voice still nasal from crying. She went into her closet, pulling out a pair of jeans and a blouse.

"What? Go where?" Snow asked, confused.

"I don't know. Just… out. I have to clear my head."

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Mom, okay?"

Snow gave a small smile at the usage of the word "mom," and nodded slightly. "Be careful, okay?"

"Yup." Emma was distracted, still wiping the tears off of her cheeks, trying to erase that minute from her life. She hated being seen as vulnerable and sad. "I'll see you later."

She quickly stumbled out of the apartment, trying not to make eye contact with her father on the way out. Finally, she was outside in the chilly morning air, and it felt good, her hair whipping wildly around her face.

She didn't know what was happening, she didn't know what she was feeling, and she didn't know what she was doing. She just began to walk aimlessly, no destination in mind. She just had to get away. Away from her confusing emotions, away from everything. After a lot of walking, however, Emma realized there was no escaping her feelings.

She looked up for the first time in several minutes to realize that she was on Mifflin street, somehow. _Damn_, she thought. She had walked pretty far without even realizing it. The tiny voice in the back of her mind nudged her, telling her she was a few feet away from the late mayor's house.

"God, I can't get that woman out of my brain," Emma muttered to herself, sadness etched on her features.

The big mansion on the end of the street seemed to magnetically pull her, and before she knew it she was climbing the steps to the front door. She didn't know why, but all of a sudden she had her hand on the doorknob. Without thinking, she slowly turned the knob. Surprisingly, it was open. The door easily clicked open and without giving it a second thought, Emma slipped inside.

_God, why the hell am I here?_ Emma asked herself as she walked slowly into the big empty living room. _What am I doing? What am I searching for?_

She didn't know. She didn't have answers. And being in Regina's house, reliving a myriad of memories, both good and bad, wasn't helping out her mixed emotions.

_Am I strict? ...I suppose. But I do it for his own good. I want Henry to excel in life. I don't think that makes me evil, do you?_

_Oh, I'm... sure he's just saying that because of the fairytale thing._

_What fairytale thing?_

_Oh you know, his book. How he thinks everyone is a cartoon character from it._

_I'm sorry, I really have no idea what you're talking about._

_...You know what. It's none of my business. He's your kid. And I really should be heading back._

_Of course._

Emma closed her eyes as the memory floated back to her. Their first conversation together. Even then, she wasn't truly evil. She never was. It was all making sense now. Regina was a misunderstood woman. Yes, sometimes she did less than noble things, but she always, unconditionally loved Henry, and _always_ wanted the best for him.

Emma glanced up the staircase, then as if being pulled again by some unknown invisible force, she traipsed up the stairs, turning into Regina's bedroom. She bit her lip and a tear rolled down her cheek as she breathed in the scent of Regina. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and it was as if the beautiful brunette was right there in the room with her.

"Oh, god," Emma whispered to herself, sitting down on the large bed. She took one of the soft pillows and hugged it with her strong arms, stroking it gently, squeezing her eyes shut as more tears fell out of them.

_Why did you come back for me? Why would you risk your life, everyone's lives, just to make sure I lived?_

_You weren't ready to die, Regina. You didn't deserve to die._

_But I was ready. If it meant Henry could be happy. I still am. I would gladly give my life for Henry. Every time._

Regina's courageous words swam back to Emma's mind in a haze, jabbing painfully at her heart. Why did this all have to be so difficult? If Regina hadn't been transforming into such a brave, good person, if only she had remained evil, then this wouldn't be so painful.

Emma shook her head of the unwanted thoughts, then took a few deep breaths, trying to regain her composure.

That is, until a scarily familiar voice woke Emma from her thoughts.

"What the hell are you doing in here, Miss Swan?"

Emma's eyes snapped open, and she gasped as she took in the unbelievable sight in front of her eyes.

Regina Mills was standing in the doorway.

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**A/N: Guys, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback to the first chapter. It's honestly what keeps me writing. Your reviews/favorites/follows really make my day! **

**If you haven't guessed, the title of the story is a reference to the Taylor Swift song (call me cheesy) although I thought of the song after I had already come up with the premise of the story and had written a couple chapters. But the song goes with the story so beautifully and I will be using some of the lyrics as inspiration in later chapters.**

**Also, sorry for the cliffhanger! Next chapter should be up soon! Love you guys! **


	3. Chapter 2

**Again, your guys's reviews and follows are so wonderful & make my day! Thank you so much. Enjoy this chapter!**

**Oh, and shoutout to quintanagleek for being the story's 100th follower! **

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Emma's mouth dropped open and her eyes were wider than ever as she stared, speechless, at the woman in the doorway of the bedroom. It couldn't be. It was impossible.

"Re…Regina?" Emma breathed, her voice barely audible. She quickly threw the pillow down and stood up, backing as far away from… whatever or whoever that was… as possible. She backed up until her back was against the wall, and she stood there, trembling, face white as milk.

"Miss Swan, _what_ is the problem here? Why do you look like you've just seen a ghost?" Regina flipped a strand of hair back, clearly annoyed and confused.

Emma's green eyes were larger than Regina had ever seen them, and her eyebrows were almost up into her hairline. She stared at the brunette, jaw dropped to the floor, speechless. Regina looked… normal. She was wearing the same outfit she had on for their trip to Neverland. A red sweater over a black top, simple black leggings, and expensive-looking black boots. Her hair was perfectly styled and voluminous as always. She simply looked very… Regina.

Emma almost bought it. Almost cracked a relieved smile. Until she remembered that Regina was dead. Until the image of her unmoving body laying in its coffin floated to the top of her brain.

All of a sudden Emma drew her gun out, pointing it straight at the older woman, both hands on the trigger. A lost tear made it's way out of Emma's eye as she gripped the weapon tightly, trying to stop her hands from quivering.

The atmosphere in the room rapidly shifted, and Regina's eyes widened as she realized just how serious the other woman was.

"Emma…?" Regina said, her tone fifty shades softer, even more confused, and now a bit scared as well. She slowly put her hands up in the air, her face displaying a mixture of bewilderment and fear. She timidly took a step closer to the hysterical blonde.

"No," Emma said quickly in a low, threatening tone. "Don't come any closer, whoever you are."

"It's me."

"No, it's not."

"Emma, it's me, who else do you think I am?"

"I… I… no, it's not you! It can't be! This is impossible!" Emma's voice raised an octave at the end of her sentence, and tears threatened to fall again from her eyes.

"Emma… What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you! You're not real! You're some kind of creature or something, I don't know, but it's not you!"

"I don't understand, Emma. What's going on?"

"Stop playing dumb."

"I'm not…" Regina let out a frustrated breath.

"Do not play games with me right now, that is awful, in the state I'm in."

"The state you're in…?" Regina tilted her head curiously, and took another miniscule step.

"Don't!" She pointed the gun again.

"Okay, listen, stop this!" Regina cried. "It's me, I can prove it."

"Oh yeah? How?" The gun didn't move an inch.

"Uh…" Regina's eyes flickered side to side as she tried to think as straight as possible with a gun pointed directly at her face.

"I'm waiting."

"Okay, okay! Um…Ask me anything, something only I would know, no one else."

Emma's eyebrow raised a centimeter as she mulled the idea over in her brain. "Okay." Regina let out a tiny breath of relief, as Emma was at least not going completely insane.

"That day down in the mines, when we stopped the trigger." Regina nodded, remembering the intense day. "When we went down there for the first time, you told me slowing the trigger would kill you, but that I should take everyone and go on without you. I asked you what I should tell Henry. What did you say after that."

"I told you to tell him that it wasn't too late for me to do the right thing." Regina sighed at the memory. "I wanted you to let me die as Regina, not as the Evil Queen."

Emma glared at her for a few more seconds, then finally lowered her gun, setting it back in its holster. Regina let out a sigh of relief and stepped further into the room.

"Good, now that we've established that I am indeed me…" she rolled her eyes. "Would you care to explain why you are in my house, in my bedroom, sitting on my bed, embracing my pillow like it's your one true love?" Mockery dripped off of Regina's sultry voice like chocolate sauce. Apparently the fear was long gone.

"I…" Emma opened and closed her mouth again, unable to say anything else. She must be going crazy. That was it. That was the only explanation.

She slowly unglued her back from the wall, taking infinitesimal steps toward Regina. Her head tilted quizzically and she swallowed as she painstakingly approached the woman whose dead body she had shed tears on less than 24 hours earlier.

"Well?" Regina crossed her arms, obviously puzzled by Emma's strange actions, and still curious about why she was in her house.

"I…" Emma repeated. Apparently she was incapable of saying more than one syllable. Regina began to tap her foot impatiently.

"I… I don't understand" were Emma's breathy words, her lips barely moving as she stared into Regina's eyes with incredulity.

"What don't you understand, Miss Swan." The former queen's patience was running out. She had no idea why the sheriff was being so strange, and frankly it was getting on her nerves. Now Emma was mere inches away, her lips slightly parted, her brows knitted in confusion. Regina stood there, one eyebrow raised, as the pretty blonde stared at her intensely, very clearly inside her personal bubble.

"But you…" Emma tried, reaching a curious hand out almost as if to touch the mayor's face. "You're…"

"I'm what, dear?" Clearly alarmed, Regina tilted her head. The blonde's face was so close, she could count every one of her long black eyelashes, could see every light freckle dusted on her nose, could just barely feel the woman's cool breath drifting out between her parted pink lips.

_Beep beep! Beep beep!_

Emma's buzzing cell phone abruptly broke her out of her trance, and she quickly took a step backward, eyes lingering a couple seconds longer on Regina's face. That face. The face she saw in her mind a thousand times within the last 48 hours. The face she couldn't stop picturing, as much as she tried, because it caused her too much pain to think about.

And now, there it was, beautiful as ever, eyes blinking, lips moving. Overwhelmed, Emma rubbed her eyes and looked down at her beeping phone to see a concerned text message from her mother.

**Emma. Where r u? Your father and I are worried.**

She furrowed her brow, wondering just how much time had passed since she had abruptly stormed out of the apartment. She looked up from her phone, and her jaw dropped. Regina had vanished into thin air.

"Gina?" Emma called, stepping out into the hallway, searching for the short-haired woman. "_Regina!_" She poked her head into Henry's room, the bathroom, the guest room, then after a while, hurried downstairs to search the living room, kitchen, and every other god-damned room in the huge house.

Regina was nowhere to be found.

"I'm fucking going crazy," Emma muttered angrily, mentally smacking herself in the head. _What the hell is wrong with me? Regina is dead. And she's not coming back._

So why was she seeing things? Why was she imagining the dead woman as if she were living, breathing, as if nothing had ever even happened?

**I think I'm going crazy,** Emma texted a very anxious Snow. **I'll be home soon.**

Emma looked up, sighing softly, and placed her phone back in her pocket. She wasn't crazy, and she knew it. Calling herself crazy was merely the easy route. Because it made zero sense whatsoever to say that Regina had risen from the dead and had made her way back to her own mansion, seemingly unaware of all the events that had transpired.

It made no sense, and it was ridiculous. If Emma hadn't seen and talked to the woman herself, she most certainly would not have believed it. Nevertheless, she _had_ seen Regina with her own two eyes. And as much as she wished it, Emma wasn't crazy.

Emma was a lot of things. Confused, yes. Lost, yes. Depressed, yes. Overwhelmed, majorly so. But crazy… not so much. Emma Swan was far from crazy. She was rational, she was logical, and she never did anything solely based on faith. She _always_ had to have all the facts. That knowledge tugged at the back of her mind, alerting her that somehow, in some way, shape, or form, Regina was still in this world.

Emma's phone beeped again.

**Crazy!?**

Emma breathed out, picturing Snow's concerned face, forehead creased with worry. She picked up her phone, typing out a short response to her overprotective mother.

**B home soon. I'll explain then.**

Snow looked up from her phone, her forehead indeed lined with concern. Emma had been gone for a few hours, now, and although Snow knew Emma was an adult, and very capable of making smart decisions for herself, she was still worried. It came with the territory of being a mother, and Snow had not had the luxury of getting used to having a daughter to worry about. And now it was coming out full-fledged.

"Where could she have gone?" Snow murmured, running a hand through her dark pixie-like hair.

"Snow," Charming approached his wife, taking her face in his strong hands. "Look at me." She looked into his warm, light eyes and immediately felt a tiny bit better.

"She's going to be all right," he reassured her.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because she's Emma," he chuckled. "She's the toughest person I know. She got along just fine on her own for twenty-eight years…" Snow cringed at the reminder. "…I think she'll be fine for just a few hours."

"Yes, you're right, I'm… I'm being silly…"

Charming nodded and brought her lips to his for a quick, soft kiss.

"But she's never been this vulnerable before, she's devastated over Regina's death and she just texted me that she's going crazy and what if she's lost her mind, and what if she can't think straight, oh gosh what if she gets lost in the forest or something, she hasn't been herself today, why did I let her go out on her own, oh gosh I'm such a bad mother…"

Giving a small smile at his wife's worried ramblings, Charming quieted her with a warm hug. He rubbed her back comfortingly, whispering words of consolation in her ear.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered, repeating himself from earlier, knowing Snow needed to hear it more than once. "I promise."

Snow sighed into his embrace, letting herself be comforted by her loving husband. The crazed thoughts remained in her mind, of Emma getting herself in all sorts of danger, but she consoled herself with the fact that there was absolutely nothing she could do at this point. Emma could take care of herself, as much as Snow hated to admit it.

Their sweet moment was cut short by the sound of the door slamming shut, and they both turned abruptly to see their daughter standing just inside the small apartment. Her face was expressionless, and her hands were on her hips.

Her instinctive mothering skills coming out, Snow rushed immediately to her daughter, placing her hands on Emma's shoulders. Emma just stared into her face, not speaking, not smiling.

"Emma…" Snow began, looking back at her husband for support. Emma blinked.

"I'm so glad you're home, I… we… were really worried."

"Yeah… where were you, Emma?" Charming stepped up beside his wife.

"And what happened? You look… tense."

"Very tense." Charming nodded.

"Emma?" All three heads turned to see Henry climbing out of bed for the first time in several hours.

"Henry." Emma's voice was low and hoarse, and she went over to him, meeting him for a sideways hug. "I'm glad to see you're… okay."

"I'm glad you're okay, too." Henry looked up at her with an expression that could _almost_ be described as a smile. "Where have you been?"

"Um…"

She looked over at her parents, who were anxiously awaiting her answer as well. Charming had one hand comfortingly on the small of his wife's back, and the other rested impatiently on his hip. Snow had her arms crossed, biting her lip, trying unsuccessfully to hide how anxious she was to find out where Emma had gone all day.

"I…" Emma pressed her lips together, wondering if she should tell her family the truth. "I went to Regina's house."

"You what?!" Charming said, his voice rising. Snow just stood there, her hand resting on her cheek, looking down at the floor. She had probably guessed it, probably had been afraid of that exact answer.

"You went to my mom's house?" Henry asked curiously. "Why?"

"Um… I don't know," Emma answered honestly. She looked down at her son, then back up at her parents. "I was just… walking. And… thinking. And then after awhile I just found myself there. I wasn't paying attention."

"Emma…" Snow took a step forward, her face sympathetic.

"Wait." Emma put her hand up. "There's more."

"More?" Henry asked. "What do you mean?"

Emma took a deep breath and gulped, stepping away from Henry.

"I saw Regina."

The room was deathly silent for a few seconds that felt like hours. Charming raised his eyebrows and scratched the back of his head. Snow's mouth was gaping, her eyes fearful, the color drained from her cheeks. Henry's expression was unreadable. But none of them moved. And all of them stared at her in disbelief. Emma fidgeted a little, began to feel uncomfortable under their hard stares.

"Emma…" Snow was the first one to speak. "Regina is… in her tomb. With her parents. She's…"

"I know, I know!" Emma interrupted her mother before she could state the obvious. She didn't need to hear it repeated for the umpteenth time. "That's not what I'm talking about, though."

"Then what are you talking about?" Charming and Snow looked like twins with their face full of confusion and worry.

"I… I think it was her… spirit. Like, you know her ghost or whatever. For some reason, it's still here." Emma closed her eyes after she said it, realizing how crazy it sounded. _Ghosts aren't real, Emma_, she scolded herself, knowing everyone in the room probably thought she had lost her mind.

She reopened her eyes just in time to catch her parents glancing at each other. Yep. They definitely thought she was crazy.

"Wait, are you serious?" Henry's voice was full of hope.

"Henry." Snow said quickly before her daughter could reply. "Why don't you go to Granny's and get yourself some ice cream."

"But I don't want ice cr-"

"Now, Henry." The hopeful boy sighed, knowing he had no say in the matter.

"Here, it's my treat," Charming said, handing his grandson some bills.

"You didn't need to do that," Emma said, annoyed, once her son was out of the apartment.

"Emma…" Snow's voice was soft, and her face conveyed pain and pity at the same time. She took a small step toward her daughter, slowly and carefully, as if Emma would explode if she got too close to her too quickly.

"Okay, stop! All this is not necessary. I _know_ what's going on. Your voice, your face, your eyes, everything is telling me I'm crazy. And I get it. I know what it looks like. Hell, I would probably call myself crazy too if I didn't see it with my own two eyes."

Snow and Charming shared another glance.

"Stop _looking_ at each other like that!" Emma let out a frustrated huff. "I'm _not_ crazy. I know what I saw!"

"We don't think you're crazy, Emma," Charming said gently.

"You've just… had a rough time lately. A _really_ rough time. You know, sometimes when people have awful things happen to them, it can make them act strangely. It's completely normal." Emma rolled her eyes at Snow's words.

"I know what I saw," she repeated, holding strong to her statement even though she herself wasn't even one hundred percent positive that she was completely sane.

"Look," she continued, seeing that her parents were not convinced. "You guys come from a land with tons of magic. You've seen magic happen beyond what you ever could have believed was possible. Why is this any different?"

"Oh, true," Snow said quickly, large eyes honest. "We have seen what magic can do. But we've also seen what magic _can't_ do. And among those limitations are things like the ability to bring back the dead."

"It's not a matter of bringing back the dead," Emma sighed. "She wasn't all Frankenstein-y. She was completely normal. Just like her usual self. She… talked to me."

Snow looked at her daughter. It obviously pained her greatly to see her grown offspring suffering like she was. And now this… Emma was apparently grieving even more than she had imagined if she was now _seeing_ the dead woman for whom she had had feelings. Tears gathered behind Snow's eyes and she blinked, trying to hold them in, trying to be strong for Emma.

"Okay, here's what I think." Charming stepped forward, clapping his hands together. "It's getting late, we're all obviously tired, and I think it would be good for us all to get some well-needed sleep."

"You still don't believe me." It wasn't a question.

"Look, Emma, just don't worry about it, okay? Your father is right; we could all use a bit of rest. Why don't you go on upstairs, take a nice shower, and get some sleep. Okay? We'll go get Henry from Granny's, we'll come back, and then we'll all turn in early."

Emma ran her fingers through her now tangled blonde hair and put her hands up in defeat. "Fine." Without giving Snow and Charming another glance, she pushed past them and went upstairs.


	4. Chapter 3

Snow White and Prince Charming walked down the street, hand in hand, just a couple blocks away from Granny's restaurant, their destination. The air was thick, and they had been walking already for a couple minutes in silence, both stunned speechless by what had just happened not five minutes ago.

Finally, Snow broke the silence with her way of taking a quick breath and saying exactly what was on her mind in her nervous, breathy voice.

"Charming, I don't know what to do." She blinked rapidly, her forehead showing lines of worry.

"Don't worry, Snow. It'll all work out."

"I know you're just trying to comfort me, and it's sweet, I appreciate it, I really do, but it's not gonna work right now. I am seriously concerned about Emma."

Charming sighed. "Me, too."

"I mean, she _actually_ thinks Regina has come back as a _ghost_. That's…" Her voice wavered off as she realized she was about to call her own daughter insane.

"She's not crazy, Snow."

"I know, I know she's not," she replied rapidly. "Emma is bright, and logical, and sensible, and smart. She's just… going through a really hard time right now. Right?"

"Yep. She's grieving." Snow had given her husband a summary of her and Emma's talk, and as hard as it was for him to imagine his daughter being interested in the Evil Queen, he understood now.

"I feel so awful, though," she whispered. "I feel like there was something we could have done to prevent this. Something we _should_ have done."

"Snow," Charming squeezed her hand. "We can't blame ourselves. What happened was no one's fault. And Regina wanted it to happen."

"You're right…" The brunette sighed. They were just outside Granny's now, and Snow stopped walking and faced her husband.

"We have to keep her from talking to Henry about this," she said in a hushed tone.

"What?"

"You saw his face when she said it the first time, the kid looked like he just got a free ice cream cone! If Emma ropes him into this, he'll gladly believe her, and it'll just cause both of them even more pain then they already have."

"Oh…" Realization dawned on the prince's face and he nodded. "That'll be really hard, though."

"Is anything in our life ever easy?" Snow said rhetorically, shaking her head as she took Charming's hand again, leading him into the diner.

* * *

A couple hours later, the small but crowded apartment was dark and silent. All of its occupants were sound asleep, except for the troubled sheriff. Emma, of course, was tossing and turning, unable to catch a wink of sleep. All she could think about was Regina. It was starting to become tiresome.

Throwing off the covers with a frustrated moan, Emma sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She couldn't lay there in bed anymore. Being still made her antsy. If she wasn't going to sleep, there was no point in just laying there.

She pulled on her boots and threw on a coat, knowing her outfit was a tad ridiculous (her pajamas were still on under her coat), but she didn't care. Her sense of fashion was the last thing on her mind. Being as quiet as possible, Emma crept out of the apartment, successfully doing so without waking her sleeping parents. Although Emma was tired, her head was clear, and the walk to the mansion on Mifflin Street was purposeful and quick, unlike the one earlier that day, which had been aimless, wandering, and happenstance.

Standing outside the house that contained so many mixed memories, Emma stared up at it, her hair billowing behind her from the gusty wind. She suddenly felt so small compared to the gigantic home, so insignificant, so little.

_Henry! Are you okay? What happened, where have you been?!_

_I found my real mom!_

…_You're Henry's birth mother?_

_Hi… _

The mayor's deer-in-the-headlights face came back to Emma as she remembered the first time she had ever laid eyes on the woman. Regina had been so surprised, so legitimately thrown off guard. Not to mention hurt by the way Henry had treated her. Yet she had still maintained her composure, and had been polite and welcoming to Emma.

Once again, the front door was unlocked, and Emma cautiously pushed the door open. When there was just enough space for her head to poke through, she peeked around the door and into the pitch black house.

In the darkness, the mansion looked even larger than usual, and even emptier. Emma took a deep breath, not sure what she was expecting, and stole all the way into the house, letting the door click shut behind her. Letting her fingers blindly explore the adjacent wall in the darkness, she finally found a light switch and flicked it on.

Light flooded the foyer and Emma turned around only to find herself inches away from none other than the late mayor herself. She gasped sharply and put her hand over her heart, which was beating wildly.

"A knock would have sufficed, Miss Swan."

"I… I just… oh god, Regina, you scared me." Emma bent slightly over, putting her hands on her knees, regaining her breath and her composure.

"Well, what did you expect? You just snuck into my house in the dead of night. For which I'm sure you'll offer a sufficient explanation."

"Uh…"

"You know, just because the door is unlocked doesn't mean my house is open for visitors."

"Um, I… I know, I'm sorry."

"That's twice in a row you broke into my house, Emma. And I'm not even counting that time last year when you and the idiot Sydney tried to frame me." She rolled her eyes at the memory. Emma just stared, still somewhat speechless.

"Why_ have_ you been coming into my house?" Regina's tone was more curious than accusatory.

"I'm… not exactly sure, actually."

"That's not a good enough reason." The mayor crossed her arms. Emma sighed softly, not sure how she was going to go about this.

"Okay, um… I guess I was hoping you would be here."

"Well, I do live here. But why would you want to see me?" Regina was genuinely confused, Emma could see it in her chocolate-colored eyes.

"Just to, ah… talk?" Emma raised an eyebrow hopefully, somewhat embarrassed, looking rather a lot like a guilty kid who just wants some loving.

"To talk," Regina repeated in disbelief.

Emma nodded vigorously, lips pressed together, mind in a jumble. She was sure Regina would kick her out in any second, going on about how she had no right to barge in on her home and expect to have a conversation.

To the blonde's surprise, however, Regina's eyes softened a miniscule amount and she tilted her head, looking at the sheriff in a new light.

"Alright."

"Alright?"

"Don't make me change my mind, Miss Swan. The door is that way and I could easily magic you out of here."

Emma let out a soft chuckle and realized she was smiling for the first time since she had returned from their unfortunate trip to Neverland. She watched Regina walk down into the sitting room, the tiny smile not leaving her face. The former queen had such a regal walk, so confident, as if she owned the whole world.

_Well,_ thought Emma, _back in the Enchanted Forest she practically did._

She bit her lip, following Regina into the small room where they had had their first conversation together. They sat comfortably opposite each other, and when Regina not-so-subtly gave Emma the once over, the sheriff suddenly felt self-conscious about what she was wearing.

"Your fashion sense has been taken to a whole new level today, dear," Regina drawled, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she surely found Emma's haphazard outfit more than comical.

"Some of us have more important things to worry about than the designers of our clothes," Emma deadpanned.

"Designers?" Regina's smile widened. "Emma, you're wearing bedclothes under a winter coat matched with riding boots. Worrying about designers comes _much_ later."

Emma blushed, glancing down at herself, then gave a sheepish smile. "I uh, guess I just didn't have time to get fully dressed."

"I can see that." Regina chuckled. "Now what caused Emma Swan to be in such a rush that she could barely throw on a coat over her pajamas?"

"Oh, give me a break, I was just… escaping."

"I would be too if I were trapped in that cage of an apartment with Snow White and Prince Charming." Regina shuddered at the thought.

Emma smiled to herself. She was just like the old Regina, throwing half-assed insults at Emma's wardrobe and complaining about Snow and Charming. She had missed it.

"I wasn't escaping them," Emma rolled her eyes. "Although they can get a tad overbearing at times, I'll give you that."

"Ha. I told you. Are you beginning to see why I can't stand the sappy couple?"

"You're not gonna trick me into talking shit on my parents, Regina."

"Well, it was worth a shot." Regina crossed her legs. "Anyways… what was it you were trying to escape?" Curiosity lined her features, and Emma chewed on her bottom lip, not sure how to reply.

"My own thoughts, I guess."

She expected a witty jab, maybe a little mockery at her wording or something, but instead she was met with a quiet confession.

"I know the feeling."

"You do?" Emma looked up in surprise.

"I know how it is to be tortured by your own emotions," she said vaguely, looking down at her lap.

"That's exactly how I feel," Emma breathed, wonder filling her eyes as she realized she had more in common with the brunette than she had previously bargained.

"Do you?" Soft brown eyes met green and they shared a silent moment of understanding.

"Yeah."

"Well, Dr. Hopper's office is down the street." The moment had passed. "I'm sure his dog would be delighted to see you. Seeing as you two have such similar taste in fashion." She motioned toward Emma's animal print sleepwear, and Emma's cheeks reddened for the second time as she hastened to cover up as much of her pajamas as possible with her coat.

"Yeah, I'm such a peasant," Emma rolled her eyes. "I don't wear complete styled outfits to bed every night." Her eyes raked the brunette's same outfit from earlier.

Regina's eyes smiled, but then she looked down at her body, almost as if confused as to how those clothes had reached their destination on her well-toned body.

"Do you even sleep, Regina? Or should I say, Your Majesty?" Emma grinned, unintentionally cherishing the normalcy that was occurring between the two women. The light jibes and half-hearted insults set Emma's mind at ease, made her feel like everything was back to normal.

"Yes, I do sleep," Regina shot back to the grinning blonde. Her tone was sharp, however her voice faltered a bit. She looked as if she was still contemplating what the blonde had said moments ago. Something was off, but the mayor couldn't quite place her finger on it.

Emma noticed her former enemy's bemused look and all of a sudden acquired a foul taste in her mouth. She didn't want anything out of the ordinary to happen. She wanted to stay here, in her own world with Regina, as if nothing had ever happened, as if everything was perfectly fine.

So she quickly changed the subject. As they talked about Henry and his funny habits, Emma sat back and gladly took Regina's witty verbal blows. She knew Regina wasn't actually trying to offend her. She was just making fun of her, finding humor in some of Emma's ways. It was normal and it felt right, and so Emma just sat there and enjoyed the brunette's presence.

It was the happiest she had felt since Neverland.

The next morning, Henry and a sleepy-eyed Emma sat in a small booth inside Granny's diner, huge stacks of pancakes sitting on plates in front of them. Snow and Charming had stayed home for the morning, continuing their research on ways to return home to the Enchanted Forest.

The previous night had been a long one. Emma had stayed at Regina's place for hours, chatting mindlessly about every which thing. A few weeks ago, Emma would have thought it odd that it was suddenly so easy to talk to the former Evil Queen, but now, it seemed perfectly normal. Regina had seemed to think so too, as their conversation had flowed effortlessly and enjoyably.

Emma probably would have stayed longer, too, if she hadn't started to nod off in the middle of a sentence. They had both lost complete track of the time, and Regina had insisted that Emma get some sleep before she passed out in her living room. Oddly enough, Regina had commented with a strange tilt of the head, she wasn't feeling tired at all.

"Mom? Moooom." Emma's eyes fluttered as she awoke from her daydream to her animated son waving his fork around in front of her eyes.

"Oh, uh, yeah, what?"

"Are… you okay, Mom? I thought I lost ya there."

"Yeah! Yes, I… I'm fine Henry, I'm just tired."

"Couldn't sleep last night?"

Emma nodded, her shoulders slumping. In a manner of speaking, it was true.

"Were you… talking to my mom?"

Emma stared at him for a moment, her mouth hanging open. She didn't know what to say. Of course the kid would believe her. He was so full of hope, and innocence, and all that happy ending crap.

"Uh… look, I promised your grandmother I wouldn't talk to you about this…"

"Oh come on, are you really taking orders from Snow White now? You never did before." Henry's voice was far too skeptical for his own good.

"No, I… I just-"

"It's fine, Mom, just tell me. I'm a big boy, I can handle it. I won't tell Grandma."

Emma bit her lip and gave him a sideways stare, not saying anything.

"Did you go back to her house last night?" The kid was perceptive, that was for sure.

A moment of hesitation. "…Yeah."

"Did you see her?"

Another small pause. "…Maybe."

Henry's eyes lit up. "Did you… talk to her?"

"Um…" Emma shifted in the small booth, glancing around the diner. "I might have… a little."

"Wow!" Henry leaned forward, intrigued.

"Keep it down, kid, I don't want people hearing about this. My parents already think I'm crazy, I don't need anyone else thinking it, too."

"Sorry." He lowered his voice to a murmur. "So… what did you guys talk about?"

"Um…" Emma took a deep, slow breath as she recalled the hours of idle chatter the night before. "Lots of things. Everything, really."

"So, did she tell you why she's still here? Why she hasn't crossed over?"

"Crossed over?" Emma was lost.

"Yeah, you know, in all the ghost movies I've seen, when somebody dies, if their spirit is still roaming the earth, it means that for some reason they're not at peace. Once they find their peace, then they cross over into the light."

"Oh…" Emma's mind mulled it over. It was fiction. There was no such thing as ghosts. But she had seen one. Talked to one. Regina's, to be specific. And Henry's theory was really the only thing she had to go off of right now.

"So… what's keeping her from crossing over?" Henry repeated.

"Oh, um… I don't know, I… I didn't ask."

"You didn't _ask?_" Henry was incredulous.

"No, it never really came up, I guess." Emma shrugged.

"Never came up?" Henry's face was so flabbergasted, it would have been comical if the situation weren't so serious. "Wait, did you even talk about the fact that she's _dead_ at all?"

"Uh…" Emma scratched her head awkwardly. "No?"

Henry stared at her, his mouth agape, speechless.

"I uh…" Emma continued. "I don't think she knows."

"That she's _dead?_"

"I said, keep your voice down!"

"Sorry." Henry looked around the room, then leaned forward again, resting his elbows on the table. "I don't understand."

"I don't either," Emma sighed.

"Well… Could you see through her?"

"No."

"Was she floating in the air?"

"No!" Emma rolled her eyes. "She looked perfectly normal. Like a live human. If I didn't see her dead body myself, I would have thought she was alive."

"Can she… touch things?"

"I'm not sure." Emma pondered the idea. "She never tried to when I was there."

There was a pause as they both thought about that.

All of a sudden, Emma's jaw went slack and her eyes widened as she stared past Henry out the window of Granny's diner. Henry squinted, looking at his mother's face, confused, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Uh, Mom?" Emma merely stared past him.

Henry furrowed his brow and turned his little body around in the booth to see what had caused Emma's strange reaction. There was some sort of commotion outside; Pongo was barking madly and Archie was lying on the ground, glasses having flown off, hair blown awry. Suddenly, a man carrying a basket of red apples tripped, and the fruit flew everywhere, bouncing madly on the sidewalk.

As far as Henry could see, there was no apparent cause for the commotion. But a commotion it definitely was.

With a sudden jolt, the door to the diner swung open and a gust of cold air blew angrily into the room. Henry raised an eyebrow, then turned back around to face his blonde mother with a questioning look on his youthful face.

Emma's face was drained of all color. Her nostrils were flaring slightly in fear and anticipation. Her eyes, greener than ever, were huge. Her mouth hung open. One word, one small word, danced precariously on her tongue, twirled around on her lips in a breathless whisper.

"_Regina."_

* * *

**Oh it is gonna go _down_ in the next chapter... Reviews are much appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry it's been a while since an update. I just got back from vacation. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are much appreciated as always.**

* * *

Emma stared, biting her lip nervously, as Regina caught her eye and stormed through the diner to the table in the back where Emma and Henry were sitting.

"Emma." Regina's voice sounded almost relieved, although there was still a biting edge to it. "You can see me." Her lips pursed, she sat down in the booth, right next to Henry.

"Uh… yeah," Emma muttered, looking down at her plate.

"What's going on? Is it my mom? Is she here?" Henry asked excitedly, his eyes wide with hope.

Regina turned toward her son, an eyebrow raised. "You can't see me either, Henry?"

Henry merely kept looking straight at Emma, waiting for an answer, oblivious to the fact that his mother was seated right next to him.

"Yeah kid, she is." Emma's voice was low, and she glanced quickly up at Regina.

"Miss Swan, what the hell is going on? Please enlighten me as to why _no one in this god forsaken town can see or hear me except for you!"_ The brunette's voice was dangerously sharp and Emma flinched at the tone.

"Uh, listen Regina…" Emma kept her hand subtly covering her mouth, trying her best not to look crazy.

"What's happening? What's she saying?" Henry was practically bouncing up and down in his seat.

"This is insane!" Regina threw her hands up in the air, frustrated as hell. "I'm having a nightmare, aren't I? This is all just some crazy dream, isn't it?"

"It… it's not a dream, Regina."

"Then what is it?" Suddenly Regina gasped. "This is Gold's doing, isn't it," she growled. "He cast some sort of spell on me to make me invisible to everyone, didn't he? _Didn't he?!"_

Emma shook her head, continuously glancing around the room. The other customers were all immersed in their own lives, laughing, talking, reading, and eating. Not a soul noticed the odd behavior of the occupants of Table 8, to Emma's relief.

"Emma, you've _got_ to give me some answers here, I don't know what's happening! And apparently you do!"

Emma twirled around a strand of her hair uncomfortably, trying her best not to look at the woman sitting straight across from her.

"Uh…" She was finding a hard time getting the words out.

"Oh my gosh…" Regina's eyes widened suddenly. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"Huh?" Emma was dumbfounded.

"_You_ cast this spell on me! You and your… your growing magical abilities! _That's_ the reason you're the only one who can see me!"

Emma's mouth gaped open, not believing what was happening.

"Undo this immediately," Regina snarled, her eyes shooting arrows.

"Okay Regina, calm down," Emma grumbled. "I didn't cast any spell on you, okay? No one did. I promise."

Regina's facial expressions softened, realizing there was not an ounce of deceit in the blonde's voice. "Then… what's happening to me?"

Henry stared excitedly at Emma, the same thing he'd been doing during the whole conversation, waiting patiently for an explanation.

"Mom…!" The boy was starting to become antsy.

Emma let out a deep breath, rubbing her temples with her fingers. Was this all really happening to her? Maybe Regina was right. Maybe it was all just a dream. If she pinched herself, maybe she could wake up from all this insanity.

"Miss Swan." The mayor's voice snapped Emma back into reality and she was forced to accept the fact that this was not actually a dream. This was real life, it was right in front of her, and she had to deal with it.

"Not here," she muttered, glancing up to see the brunette's confused expression.

"What?"

"We need to talk, Regina. But not here. Your place."

Regina raised an eyebrow, then nodded and stood up swiftly. She probably would have made a snarky comment about how Emma was inviting herself over, but she was too concerned about what was happening.

"I'll drive, okay? My bug is outside." Emma tossed some money onto the table, then stood up as well, pulling on her coat as Henry followed suit.

"Do we _really_ have to ride in that… thing?" At least Regina's head was clear enough to make a solid jab at Emma's car.

"Yes." Unsmiling, Emma tucked her hair behind her ears and put a hand on Henry's back, guiding him to the exit of the restaurant.

"So… we're going back to my house?" Henry confirmed, his voice taking a conversational tone.

"Just get in the car," Emma muttered. Henry started to open the passenger door, and Emma quickly made sounds of denial, motioning her son to get in the backseat.

"This is so weird…" Henry said as he climbed into the small bug. Emma opened up the passenger door, motioning for Regina to get in, and after ample eye-rolling and dramatic shows of disgust, she finally climbed in and sat down. Slamming the door shut, Emma walked around to the driver's side and got in.

"Wait a minute… where are we going?" Henry asked from the backseat after a few minutes of driving in silence. Emma ignored him, staring straight ahead, watching the road.

"Ma…" Henry's voice had a warning tone to it. He had an idea of what Emma was going to try to do and he didn't like it one bit.

His suspicions were confirmed when the small yellow bug pulled up to the small apartment that Emma had first moved into, what seemed like many moons ago. Emma put the car in park, sighed, and turned around in her seat to face her son.

"Emma, no, no, no! Don't drop me off here, don't make me miss all the action, come on!"

"Henry…" Emma put a hand on the boy's knee. "I know you want in on the action, but listen, this is something I have to do alone, okay? With, uh… with your mom. It's just… easier if I talk to her alone. Grown up stuff."

Henry crossed his arms, unconvinced.

"Look, I promise I'll tell you everything that happens, okay?"

Henry let out an irritated huff, but obliged, unfastening his seat belt and climbing out of the car. Regina watched on, her face unreadable, still trying to wrap her mind around what was going on. It was extremely difficult for her to accept the fact that her own son, for whatever reason, could not see or hear her at the moment.

"Thanks, Henry," Emma smiled from the window of the car. Henry shut the backseat door and came up to the driver's side window.

"Good luck," he whispered to Emma, before turning around and running into the apartment.

The ride back to Regina's house was tense; the silence hung in the air, surrounding the two women like a dense fog. Emma kept her hands clasped tightly on the steering wheel, her body stiff and upright, her eyes straight on the road. Regina, in the passenger seat, was just as tense, her hands resting on her lap.

Every few seconds she stole a glance over at the blonde sheriff, waiting for some answers. She tried her best not to aggravate Emma with more questions, but the suspense and inconclusiveness were killing her. She chewed her lip nervously, not saying a word, knowing Emma was formulating thoughts in her head.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, they arrived at the mansion. As soon as they took a step inside the cool, empty house, Regina could take it no longer. She walked in first, Emma a few steps behind her. The brunette strode with a purpose, heading toward the direction of the living room, then abruptly stopped and turned around before they had exited the foyer.

Emma, a mere few feet on her tail, halted in surprise as Regina turned suddenly to face her. The mayor's eyes were dark with intensity, her face betraying her frustration. Instinctively, Emma took a small step back.

"We're alone now, Miss Swan. No one can see us," Regina said with an irritated flick of her hand. _"Now tell me what is going on."_

"Regina…" Emma tucked a lock of golden hair behind her ear. "Do you remember… what happened last week?"

"Last week?" Regina sounded surprised at Emma's seemingly arbitrary question and took a minute to think about it. As she ransacked her memories for any events that had gone on within the past week, she upsettingly could find nothing but a hazy fog.

Emma sensed the confusion in Regina's eyes and raised an eyebrow. She was taking way too long to answer. What happened in Neverland was far from forgettable, obviously, and apparently Regina could not remember her own death. This was a problem.

"I… I'm not sure." Regina's voice was shaky.

"You don't remember… a boat… a mission… um…" Emma tried her hardest to ease the brunette into the truth slowly and harmlessly.

"What are you talking about?"

Emma tried a new approach. "Regina, what's the last thing you can remember? Before talking to me last night."

"Um, I…" She looked down at her hands, which were nervously wringing. Why was it so hard to recall any of the most recent events? Before, she hadn't even thought about it, but now that she was consciously trying to think about what she did, where she was, who she was with, over the past week, her mind was completely blank. And it scared her.

"What's happening to me," she whispered, fear evident in her eyes.

"You… you can't remember anything?"

"I remember Henry," she snapped, fear and uncertainty suddenly taking its grip. "I remember raising him, I remember you coming in and breaking my curse, I remember the two idiots, I remember my mother dying."

Emma looked at Regina, sympathy in her eyes, not saying anything.

"I know who I am," Regina finally stated, her voice softer. "I just… everything is a jumble." She looked up at Emma at last. "Please just tell me what happened."

After a few moments of silence, Emma took a deep breath.

"Greg and Tamara," she began. "You remember them?"

Regina nodded, a small spark of recognition popping up. It was hazy, but she remembered the two people foolishly trying to rid the world of magic.

"They took Henry," Emma continued. "They stole a magic bean and took him to Neverland. We went after them in Hook's ship. My parents, Gold, Hook, you, and me. Uh… it was kind of a rough journey…" Emma's voice faltered.

Regina's eyes widened as she listened. It was beginning to come back to her. Memories of the trip flashed before her eyes as Emma's voice narrated what had happened.

"We spent a while tracking them down…"

Sandy beaches. Endless darkness. Children crying. An ominous cave, looming taller than any cave she had seen before. The evil Peter Pan, cackling maliciously. Henry held hostage, helplessly kicking and struggling while being tied by rope. Regina's eyes glazed over, and Emma's voice began to echo in her mind as she relived everything.

She watched her son try his best not to cry, fear nevertheless gripping his features and making Regina's heart ache. The awful shadow laughed evilly, and Regina gave everything she could to save her little boy, diving forward, her love for her son driving her, and then there was a bright gold blast, and everything went black.

"I'm dead." The words were whispered.

"Regina, I'm sorry." Emma's voice was gravelly, and a tear lingered on her cheek as she, too, relived the brunette's death.

Regina stood there, her hand covering her mouth in shock, eyes bright with tears, cheeks flushed with emotion and realization. She stared through the blonde, eyes unseeing.

"Why am I still here?" Her voice wavered. This didn't make any sense. Magic didn't entail life after death.

"I don't know."

"Why are you able to see me? And hear me?"

"Regina, those are all questions for which I have no answers. I've been wondering the same things myself. I… I thought I was crazy."

"You're not crazy," Regina murmured softly.

"I don't know… I'm still doubting myself," Emma sighed.

"I wish you were crazy. I wish I was merely a figment of your imagination. But I'm not. I'm real. For some reason, I'm still here." She shrugged, and a tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.

She looked down at the shelf next to her against the wall, and smiled at a framed photo of her and Henry. It had been taken years ago, when Henry was five or six years old, and he was snuggled up in Regina's embrace while smiling blissfully at the camera. When she attempted to pick up the photo, however, she quickly found out that she couldn't.

A sharp gasp emitted from the brunette's throat as she passed her hand straight through the photo frame. Her fingers grasped helplessly at the air, and Regina's mouth gaped. She withdrew her arm and looked down at herself, then back up at Emma, who was watching the whole thing with sad eyes.

"I… I guess I should have been prepared for that," Regina said quietly.

"Regina…" Emma's voice was softer than ever, practically a whisper, and she stepped closer to the older woman.

Regina immediately took a step back, though, and her body stiffened. She hardened her features until they were emotionless, and glared up at Emma, daring her to come any closer.

"Stop," she said harshly.

"What?" Confused and hurt, Emma stopped moving closer.

"What are you doing, Miss Swan."

"I… what do you mean?"

"I mean why are you talking to me? Why are you acting like you feel so sorry for me? Why haven't you just left, why are you still here?"

"I want to help you, Regina." The brunette shook her head fiercely in denial.

"No. No, that doesn't make any sense. You hate me."

"I don't hate you." The response was far too quick, and a small amount of emotion registered on Regina's face.

"But… you're the savior. I'm the Evil Queen. We're enemies. You broke my curse. And I've done so many awful things. How can you not hate me?" Regina's face had softened again, and her voice displayed genuine curiosity. She really didn't understand.

"Seriously?"

"What?"

"Are you really saying that we have to hate each other just because that's how it was _planned_ for us? Because that's how it's _meant to be_?" She made air quotes around the words, clearly mocking them. "I think you're forgetting that I'm not from your world, Regina."

The brunette tilted her head in confusion.

"Well, okay, technically I am, but I was only born there. I lived in that world for like five minutes before I was frisked away to this world. I didn't grow up knowing you were the evil queen. I didn't even know you when you were like that. Hell, it's hard for me to even imagine you as some dramatic evil queen." Emma paused and glanced up to see Regina's reaction so far. She was biting her lip, her eyes soft and forgiving.

"You'd be surprised," she chuckled hoarsely. Emma smiled.

"Regina, I only know you from here. The real world. Storybrooke. I know you as a scary mayor, a good cook, and a strict but great mom. Yeah, we've had our differences, and it's not that I don't believe what my parents tell me about your past. But the past is the past. I didn't experience it, and that's not how I think of you. And I truly do believe that you have changed. You started trying a long time ago, and I think it finally happened. I admire you for that. I really do."

There was a short silence as Emma's words sunk into Regina's mind.

"It… it's kind of weird, you know?" Regina looked up into Emma's green orbs.

"What is?"

"I'm… a ghost, and the only person who can see me is the one I thought was my mortal enemy, but it turns out you're probably the person who would be most willing to help me."

"Yeah, it's kind of funny I guess."

"I don't have a lot of friends, Emma." Regina's voice threatened to crack. "I honestly think you're the only person who actually understands me."

Emma gave a small smile, the apples of her cheeks tinting slightly pink, and Regina smiled back.

"I will do everything in my power to help you, to figure out whatever is going on and how to fix this. I promise," Emma said sincerely.

"Thank you Emma," Regina whispered.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: I know I sound like a broken record, but thank you again to everyone who's been consistently reading/favoriting/reviewing, it honestly is just so wonderful and makes me so happy! I hope I don't disappoint!**

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Steamy heat filled the small bathroom and clouded up the mirror. Emma could feel the warm moisture in the air as she stepped out of the shower, and she breathed deeply through her nose, a small smile lingering on her lips. Droplets of water clung to Emma's clean skin and her damp hair was already starting to wave. She stood right outside the bathtub, reveling in the refreshed feeling she had. She felt renewed and rejuvenated.

Running a towel over her wet body, Emma slowly dried off. Finally, she reached up to her hair and rubbed it gently with the fluffy blue towel, massaging her scalp. She closed her eyes blissfully as she methodically towel-dried her wet hair.

Letting the steamy air warm her bare body, Emma stood there, head tilted to the side, then reached out to rub a small circle on the fogged mirror. She smiled at her reflection, still running the towel through her wet locks.

The events of the past couple of days ran through her mind and she smiled even wider. Regina was back. And it was wonderful. Seeing the brunette standing, smiling, frowning, talking, just doing anything, made Emma so happy. She had never wanted Regina to die. Regina wasn't supposed to die. So now that she was back, Emma was happy as a clam.

Now, of course she wasn't _really_ back. She wasn't alive. That was for sure. Emma had seen Regina's death with her own eyes. And there was the small matter that no one else in the entire town could see or hear her, and she couldn't seem to touch anything. But most of Storybrooke's residents didn't care much for the former evil queen anyways, right? It wasn't as if Regina had a ton of friends that missed her, as much as Emma hated to admit it inside her head. And as long as she could talk to her and be with her, she was happy. And that was all that mattered.

So, there it was. Emma was satisfied with her reasoning as she laid it all out there in her mind. The situation was fine. It was more than fine, actually. It was favorable. She could see and talk to Regina, and no one else could. It was more than she could hope for.

Emma smirked as the fog in the bathroom slowly and gradually cleared up and the residual warmth from her shower faded. She stared into the slowly clearing mirror, and her smirk turned into a frown. She leaned forward, confused. What was that… figure… in the mirror behind her? Was the mirror just dirty? The condensation was still clearing up so she couldn't tell, but as it was fading she squinted…

"Miss Swan."

Emma jumped and her heart flew rapidly into her throat. Before she even knew what was happening, she let out a high-pitched shriek, her eyes wide and her heart beating wildly.

_What the hell?_ Emma turned around immediately only to find Regina Mills standing comfortably in her tiny bathroom, arms crossed, looking as perfect as always. She gasped and covered her mouth, trying to stifle her own scream, and quickly fumbled with the towel she was holding, trying clumsily to cover the parts of her body that she was less than comfortable sharing with anyone, let alone the regal mayor.

"Oh my god…" Emma's voice sounded like it had lost a lot of air, and she clutched the towel to the front of her body, trying as best as she could to keep it there. "Regina, what the _hell?_"

Regina glanced down at Emma's apparel, or lack thereof, and a small amount of shock flitted in her eyes. It seemed she was almost as surprised as the blonde about her surroundings, but she hid it much better. She pursed her lips, trying to ignore Emma's deep blush, and did her best to act like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. However, she could not hide the subtle darkening of her eyes.

"You said you would help me, and then you leave and don't come back for hours," Regina commanded, letting her hands rest on her hips, feeling the need to state why she was where she was. Her voice faltered a bit at the end, though, as embarrassment peeked through.

"I… uh… I just… oh jeez Regina, are you serious?" Emma's blush turned even darker.

"What? Is there a problem?" Regina trained her eyes intensely on Emma's, mentally warning herself not to let them linger south.

"Uh… yeah? How about I'm naked?"

Regina licked her lips. "Your choice of clothing is not my concern."

"Seriously Regina? I just got out of the shower! You're in my bathroom! And the door was _closed_, I might add."

"Yes… it seems that is correct." Regina glanced around the small room.

"Uh… how long have you been standing there?" Emma asked cautiously, wondering how long the mayor had been staring at her bare ass.

"What?" A subtle flush crept up Regina's neck as she realized what Emma was asking. "No, I… no! I spoke as soon as I got here, I wasn't just standing here looking at…"

"Right…" Emma hid a smile as she enjoyed seeing the brunette as flustered as she was.

"Why _did_ you decide to show up in my bathroom, anyways?" A tiny smirk appeared on Emma's face. "I mean, of all the rooms in my house."

"I…" For a minute, Regina was stuck. Her face flushed even more and she was at a loss for words. Then she remembered who she was. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Hmm?" Emma raised her eyebrows, still smirking. She was quite enjoying seeing Regina like this.

"I didn't _try_ to show up in your bathroom while you were naked."

"Is that so?" Emma almost put her hands on her hips, before she remembered she was holding on for dear life to a small cloth covering her most private body parts.

"Yes." Regina rolled her eyes. "I didn't magically transport myself here. You would have noticed."

For a second, Emma turned serious and she thought about what Regina was saying. It was true, she hadn't seen any purple smoke.

"So… how did you get in here?" Then she remembered. "Oh… right, the ghost thing."

"It's different from magic. I don't have the same control."

"Are you sure you didn't just want to see me naked?" Emma was cocky again.

Regina's eyes drifted fleetingly down, where the towel Emma was clutching had slipped an inch or two. A tiny bit of cleavage was peeking out from under the towel. Regina forced her eyes back upwards and cleared her throat, regaining her composure.

"Definitely not, Miss Swan."

Emma noticed Regina's cursory glance and looked smug, even though the brunette seemed to have her composure back. They stared at each other for another moment, an awkward silence falling between them.

"Um…" Regina cleared her throat again. "I'll just, uh… go wait in your bedroom, and um… you put on some clothes… and meet me out there when you're… ah… dressed appropriately."

"Oh, uh… yeah. Yeah, sounds good."

Regina gave a curt nod, and did her best to tear her eyes away from the beautiful blonde in front of her who was standing there stark naked save a small piece of cloth. She finally turned around and made her way out of the bathroom, which had started to become uncomfortably warm.

As soon as Regina left, Emma let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and quickly pulled on some jeans and a tank top. She ran her fingers through her still-damp hair and found that she was still breathing heavily. The way Regina had looked at her… it was almost as if… no. It couldn't be.

Shaking her head of the absurd thoughts, Emma rested her hands on either side of the sink and glared at herself in the mirror. What a strange morning. She leaned over and turned on the faucet, splashing cold water onto her warmed face.

_Pull yourself together, Swan._

As soon as Emma entered her room, Regina turned around, an expectant look on her face. She was holding her arms across her belly, her hands on her elbows.

"Hey," Emma slid onto the bed, sitting on the mattress cross-legged.

For some reason, Regina was taken aback at Emma's casual actions, her damp, wavy hair, her natural clean face, most of all that revealing white tank top… She quickly shook her head, tearing her eyes away from the blonde's exposed biceps, and cleared her throat.

"I'm glad you decided to finally put on some clothes."

Emma's mouth twitched, and she covered her mouth with her hand to hide the fact that she was smiling hugely like an idiot.

"What, what's so funny?" Regina was confused.

"Nothing, nothing." Emma stifled a giggle. Her superpower had always been quite useful, but she was never gladder to have her lie detector skills than right at this moment. And at this moment, her lie detector was full-blown flashing.

"Emma…" Regina's voice had a warning tone to it.

"So, exactly what was the reason you came here? I can't remember." Emma decided to change the subject, her cheeks a little pink from her most recent discovery.

"Do you really need to ask? You said you would help me. I'm just here to get started."

"Oh, right, yeah, of course, of course." Emma gazed up at Regina. "…who needs work, anyways? Having a job isn't important. I'll just ditch, it's fine."

Regina rolled her eyes at the sarcasm, but she couldn't hide the small amount of concern she was feeling. She should have been used to it by now, but ever since she had died, her mind had been acting completely strange. She couldn't seem to remember things that were very obvious, and specific events were all a haze. It made her very uneasy.

She shook off the feeling and one of frustration took over instead. She let out an unsatisfied huff of breath and crossed her arms.

"Fine. Do your unnecessary job. But when you're done, I'll be waiting."

"I don't doubt it, Regina."

"When do you have to go in?"

"Now."

"Where's Henry?"

"He's at school, like he is every morning."

"Oh… right." There was a pause. Then… "Did you tell him about me?"

"Yeah." Hesitancy was evident in Emma's voice.

"Why?" Regina was clearly unhappy with that answer.

"I know I shouldn't have, okay? I know it'll just cause him more pain, and it's pointless to tell him because he can't see you. But…" Emma sighed, and her voice grew smaller. "He was the only one who believed me."

Regina looked at her, the woman who suddenly looked so small sitting there on the bed, and she understood.

"I'm sorry," Emma muttered.

"It's okay." Regina's reply was immediate, and Emma looked up in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I get it." They smiled at each other in understanding for half a second before Emma looked at the clock and quickly got up off the bed.

"I gotta go." She pulled on a jacket and laced up her boots. "I'll see you later, okay?"

The police station was quiet. Not that that was an anomaly. Storybrooke was a tiny town. Nothing exciting ever occurred, save the occasional small fight or random suspicious phone call that more often than not turned out to be nothing.

Emma sat in her chair, her feet up on her desk, munching on a delicious bear claw. The waste basket a few feet away from her desk was almost filled to the brim with crumpled up pieces of paper.

"Can she achieve the unachievable?" Emma said, her voice mimicking an announcer on television. "Will she be able to land her _fiftieth _basket in a row?"

She took the last sheet of scratch paper from her desk and crunched it into a perfect ball. Holding it in her right hand, she swung her arm back and prepared to throw. She squinted at her target, considering the arch and velocity she would need. Finally, she wound up and tossed the paper ball straight into the now full trash can.

"Yes she can!" Emma threw her arms up in victory.

"Nice shot."

Emma jumped a mile high and nearly fell out of her chair as she heard the familiar sultry voice. As she regained her composure, she swiveled around in her chair and placed her hand over her heart.

"Really, Regina? Again?! Jesus Christ do you have to always scare me like that?"

"At least you have clothes on this time."

Emma rolled her eyes. "What are you even doing here? I told you I would see you after work."

"Yeah, I see you're _so_ busy here with _all_ that time-consuming work." Sarcasm dripped from her voice, even more than usual.

"It's been… quiet today." Emma felt the need to defend herself. "Doesn't mean I can just ditch. What if something were to happen? And the sheriff was just frolicking around?"

"Point taken." The confident smile never left Regina's face, though.

"Why are you here, anyways?" Emma repeated.

"I… got bored. You're the only one I can talk to. There's not much to do when no one can see, hear, or touch you."

Emma narrowed her eyes slightly, realizing that Regina's answer wasn't fully truthful, but chose to move past it. She had a feeling Regina had a good reason for covering up whatever she was.

"So I was thinking, we should talk to Gold."

"Gold? Why?" Emma's eyebrows rose in confusion.

"Try to use that brain of yours. The only one in this town that knows more about magic than I do is Rumpelstiltskin. He taught both me and my mother everything we know. If there's anyone who will know what is happening to me, it'd be him."

"My mom told me that magic doesn't deal with anything after death. Regina, I don't think this has anything to do with magic."

"Then what is it, Emma?" Regina glared intensely at her. "Do you have another answer?"

Emma faltered under the woman's glare. "No," she muttered.

"Right now, we have nothing. And I think our best chance is to ask the most knowledgeable person here. And that's Rumpelstiltskin," she repeated.

"And exactly how do you plan on doing that?" Emma challenged, standing up to meet Regina's level.

"Well, I don't. You have to do it."

"Of course." Emma rolled her eyes. "I'll just tell him you're back from the dead, no one can see you, and hey help us, we don't know what's going on."

"No!" Regina said forcefully. "I don't want him to know I'm here."

"Oh perfect," Emma threw her arms up sarcastically. "So I have to somehow get information out of him on something that if he has, it's one of his biggest secrets, and all the while I can't tell him the huge reason why I need this information. Oh and, I forgot to mention, he'll probably have a huge price, and I'll have to pay it, whatever it is. Sounds great, Regina."

"It won't be that bad, Emma."

"How can you say that?"

"You make it sound a lot worse than it is. I've made many deals with Rumpelstiltskin. I'm used to his antics. I know how to work around him, I know how to get what I want from him. Trust me."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Regina."

All of a sudden, the door to the station swung open and David walked in, hands on his hips, curious look on his face.

"Oh… hey David." Emma tried to mask the emotion from earlier on her face.

"Who were you just talking to?"

"Uh…" For a second, Emma just stood there, eyes wide, speechless.

"Emma!" Regina hissed. "You have to say something. Tell him you were on the phone!"

"I… was talking on the phone," Emma said quickly, glancing briefly over at Regina before returning her gaze to her father.

"Who was it?"

"Oh, uh… no one. I mean, yeah it was someone, but uh… it was just a personal call. It was on my cell."

David didn't need a superpower to know something was up. He walked further into the room and closer to Emma.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, dad, everything's fine. I promise."

"Look, Emma, ever since Regina's death, you've been acting different. I know it's been hard on you, and I know you've been sad. I just want you to know you can talk to me about it. I mean… I'm your father."

Regina watched the exchange interestedly.

"Okay, thanks." Emma silently prayed her dad would take the hint and not continue. Unfortunately, he didn't.

"You could have told us how you felt about Re-"

"Ooookay, dad, _thank_ you!" Emma's voice was overly loud as she interrupted her father, knowing that what he was about to say would ruin everything.

"Emma, let your dad talk," Regina said, almost annoyed. She had a pretty good idea of what David was about to say, but nevertheless she still wanted to hear it.

"No way," Emma said.

"Huh?" Charming asked.

"Oh, uh… nothing."

"Emma, you're acting strange again."

"Yeah, uh... sorry. I think I need to take a break. You can cover for me, right?"

David nodded, still confused.

"Great. Thanks." Emma grabbed her jacket and rushed out of the station, Regina following in her footsteps.


	7. Chapter 6

"Where are we going?" Regina's voice was slightly out of breath as she rushed to catch up with the hassled sheriff.

"Gold's." Emma's answer was quick and succinct, and she continued to power walk, her face focused, her eyes intense, her lips pressed together. "We need to get this over with. You were right. He's our only option right now."

"Emma, no!" Regina's eyes widened and she almost jogged to get in front of Emma and grab her arm to stop her.

"Seriously?" Emma stopped and searched Regina's face. "Why are you trying to stop me? You were the one who wanted to go to Gold in the first place." Regina took a deep breath, glad that Emma had finally stopped walking, and tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ears.

"Not now." She was still somewhat out of breath.

"Why not? Let's get it over with." She started walking a mile a minute again and Regina groaned in frustration before straightening up and disappearing and reappearing right in front of Emma, halting her abruptly. Emma gasped sharply and her hand flew to her heart.

"Wow. You're getting better at that."

"Yes. I find it's not so different from magically transporting after all." She gave a sugary sweet smile, and then a millisecond later her face turned serious once again. "Please listen to me for a second. We need a plan."

"Thought you could handle Rumpelstiltskin."

"I can." Regina put her hands on her hips. "But you can't."

"Oh please. I can handle it."

"Emma, do you want what just happened with your father to happen with the most powerful magician in all the realms? To the ordinary eye, you acted like a crazy person. Luckily your father is too dim-witted to see it, but Rumple isn't."

Emma bit her lip, taking the brunette's words into consideration.

"Fine. Tell me what to do."

* * *

The bell to Gold's pawn shop clanged angrily and the door swung open as Emma barged into the room, an atmosphere of concentration and perseverance entering the room as well.

"Miss Swan. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need your help."

"Don't you always."

"Don't you be snarky with me, Gold."

"Miss Swan, I believe you came to me asking for help. Do you think you'll get what you want by being hostile?"

"Oh, I don't think you'll hesitate one second to help me."

"Really? And why is that?" Gold had a half-amused smile on his face.

"Because it concerns your son."

Upon hearing Emma's last words, Gold's nostrils flared and his eyebrows rose in surprise. For a moment, he just stared at the savior, speechless, his mouth opening and closing but nothing coming out.

"Yes, this is perfect! Emma, you're doing great, keep it up." Regina's voice came from the corner, unheard by Gold but causing a tiny, tiny smile to tug at the corner of Emma's lips.

"This is a cruel joke, Miss Swan."

"It's not a joke."

"Then _what_ are you talking about." Gold's voice was low and gritty. This was not a matter to be toyed with, and Emma was treading into dangerous waters. But it was something she had to do.

"Neal. He's dead."

"If you're here to rub things I already know in my face, I suggest you-"

"What if he could come back," Emma interrupted, her voice rising.

"That's impossible. I know you're not from our land, Miss Swan, but even you should know by now that bringing people back from the dead is beyond magic's capabilities."

Emma hesitated and her eyes flitted to the side, glancing over to where Regina was standing.

"Stay strong. You know what to do. Push past his armor."

Emma closed her eyes for a second, taking in Regina's encouraging words, and then opened them, looking directly into Rumpelstiltskin's intimidating eyes.

"Gold, I need you to be completely honest with me."

"Even if I _were_ hiding something, which I'm not, why on earth would I tell you anything?"

"Because I'm the only one who can help your son."

"What?" Gold was thrown off course.

"Neal. I'm still in love with him." Emma gritted her teeth unpleasantly as she let the lie slide off her tongue.

"And you think you can get him back by True Love," Gold smirked condescendingly, but his eyes were unsmiling. "You really are delusional. Even if that were possible, which it is not, Bae is gone, in another realm. We don't even know which world he is in, and even if we did, it would be impossible to find him."

"Be vague," Regina coached. "Make him think you know something, but don't tell him what it is. He won't bet his son's life on it."

"Uh…" Emma tried to think.

"Yes, that's what I thought." Gold gave a nonchalant flick of his wrist, and the door to his shop swung open again. "Thank you for stopping by."

"What if I told you Neal is here," Emma said in a low voice.

"Here… as in…?"

"Yeah."

"You know something, Miss Swan. Don't you?"

"Maybe I do."

"Tell me what you know."

"No."

"Then I'm not going to tell you anything either."

"Fine, then the chances of you being reunited with your son are pretty much none."

"You're bluffing."

"Would you bet Neal's life on it?" Gold hesitated. He was obviously torn.

"Tell me what you know," Emma repeated in an insistent voice, her eyes wide and imploring.

After a few moments, Gold finally spoke up. "It's not magic," he said. "What I said before was true. Magic's boundaries do not extend to life after death."

"Then what is it?"

"Well… this is a different matter entirely. This is… hard to explain."

"But you know something about it." Gold let out a sigh.

"The afterlife is a complicated idea," he explained. "It's not concrete at all, and it is purely based on faith. It works the same way in our world as it does in this one."

"What does that mean?" Regina said curiously, stepping closer. Emma waited, then remembered that Gold couldn't hear Regina's question. She echoed it, her arms crossed.

"We don't know exactly how it works. We don't even know if it's real. But we can speculate. People have done experiments, have devoted their lives to figuring out what happens afterwards."

"And?"

"And that's it. I don't know any more than you do."

"You're lying. You know something else." Emma rose her voice and moved her face closer to the older man's, trying her best to sound intimidating. He sighed, not intimidated, but knowing Emma wasn't going to give up.

"There have been… tales. Back in my land."

"What sort of tales?"

"Basically the same tales as the ones told here. Spirits of people recently deceased coming back to haunt the earth."

"Go on…" Emma tried not to sound too interested.

"Well… it's been said that if a deceased soul has unfinished business, they will linger in the world they lived in until their business is finished."

"That's what Henry said."

"He's a smart boy," Gold stated with a tilt of his head. "However, in the tales, no one is able to communicate with the spirits save for one person."

"Yeah? Who's that?" Emma was disbelieving.

"Their True Love."

There was a moment of dead silence as Rumpelstiltskin let that sink in, and Emma forgot that she wasn't supposed to look at Regina. Her mouth gaping, she turned toward the brunette, who was mirroring her expression.

"Miss Swan? Is everything alright?" Gold's thick accent snapped Emma back into reality.

"Uh… yeah…"

Regina's expression quickly morphed from one of surprise to one of disbelief as she regained her composure. She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Come on Emma, we're not going to get any answers from the imp. Let's go."

"Yeah, he's probably making it all up…" she muttered to herself.

"I'm not making it up, Miss Swan," Mr. Gold called as Emma was about to leave the shop. "They _are_ just fables… but the storytellers swear by them."

"Sure, Gold," Emma rolled her eyes and put her hand on the doorknob.

"Wait, hold on, hold on a second."

Emma let out an irritated huff. "What is it?"

"My boy, you said he's back." The pawnbroker's face was beseeching and hopeful, and there was a second of hesitation as Emma realized what he was saying.

"I lied."

The door slammed shut.

"That was impressive."

"Thanks," Emma muttered, still distracted by what Gold had said. They were walking down the street, no specific destination in mind, just definitely away from Mr. Gold's pawn shop.

"You shouldn't worry about what Rumpelstiltskin said. He can't be trusted."

"Yeah… yeah, I know, I'm not… I'm not worried." Emma gave a little laugh to prove to Regina that she wasn't concerned at all.

"You were right. Going to Gold for answers was a waste of time. I don't know why I thought it would be helpful at all," Regina said, annoyed with herself.

"It… was our only option," Emma defended. "And he does have a lot of secrets."

"That's for sure."

"So… back to square one," Emma sighed as she plopped down on a wooden park bench.

"Yes…" Regina murmured in agreement as she slowly sat down on the bench next to her. For a few minutes, only the birds chirping and the wind blowing softly could be heard as the two women were lost in their own thoughts.

"Can I ask you something?" Regina broke the silence.

"Uh… sure. What is it?"

"I came up with the whole Neal thing so that Rumple would tell you the information. But I'm curious… is it true?"

Emma looked over at the woman at her side, and didn't say anything. It was a hard question to answer.

"I don't think so."

"You didn't still have feelings for him after he returned?"

"I… I don't know, Regina, why do you even care?" Emma's voice rose up in frustration at the end and she sighed, putting her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean to intrude."

"No, it's okay, I just… it's hard for me."

"What is?"

"Just… Neal being here. I mean, I loved him once. I used to think he was my soulmate, my happily ever after. But I was eighteen. I was just a kid, I was so damn naïve. And he left me, he screwed me over. What kind of person does that? He let me go to jail. I've never forgiven him for that."

Regina bit her lip, staring out into space.

"I was in love, too. Once. I thought he was my happy ending too."

Emma sat up, turning towards Regina. "Really?"

"Yes. But I lost him."

"I… I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. I don't even know… I mean, I was a child as well. Even younger than you were. How was I to know what love was? My mother was keeping me locked up as if I were in prison… I was so infatuated with the idea of getting out, of being free."

"I guess we both had pretty crappy childhoods."

Regina looked over at Emma, making eye contact for the first time since they had sat down, and gave a small smile.

"At least it's in the past." She reached out to put a comforting hand on top of Emma's, but the moment was ruined when her hand just slipped right through. It was as if she wasn't even there.

"Ugh," Regina groaned in frustration.

Emma looked up, noticing Regina's intention, and smiled sadly. "It's okay. Thanks for trying."

Regina wasn't consoled, and her big eyes showed deep sadness and despair.

"Regina?"

"Hmm."

"I'm sorry." It came out as a whisper.

"For what?" The comment was a curve ball and came as a surprise to Regina.

"I'm sorry you died."

"I'm not."

"You're not?"

"No." Regina shook her head as if it was obvious. "Emma, I didn't accidentally trip and fall and take the blast from Peter Pan. I did it on purpose so that Henry could live. The knowledge that Henry is okay, that he will be able to live a happy life, that's all I need."

"But you can't ever be with him again. With… anyone."

"It was worth it." Regina shrugged, and although sadness lined her features, regret was not there.

"I should have been the one to die."

"What?" Regina knitted her brow. Did Emma just say what she thought she said?

"It should have been me. I'm supposed to be the savior, why do I get to live and you have to die? I should have been the one to save Henry."

"What, now you're angry because you're not the hero this time?" Regina's eyebrows rose in disbelief.

"No, that's… that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" Regina's voice had a threatening quality.

"I just… I feel like you deserve to live. I wish you could live out a happy life with Henry. I… I was in _jail._ I gave up my son. I don't… I don't deserve this life. You do."

"Well… you've got it." The former queen's voice was almost bitter. "So _please_… just make the most of it. If anyone deserves that, it's Henry."

Emma nodded sincerely. "I will."

Satisfied with her answer, Regina turned her head back so that she was facing forward, and Emma did the same. They sat there on the small bench, two former enemies, now working together. In comfortable silence, they sat quietly, both of their hands resting on the bench, less than an inch apart.

Neither of them noticed Snow White across the street, watching the scene with a distressed look on her face.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here's chapter 7 for you guys. Some kinda intense stuff is gonna go down this chapter, so brace yourselves! I hope to have chapter 8 for you lovelies soon. Thanks for sticking with me & for being patient!**

* * *

"Dark."

"Light."

"You're wrong."

"I'm right."

"You're as far from right as possible."

"Preeetty sure I'm more right than you."

"Let's see, who was the one who spent ten years raising him?" Regina raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. I'm right."

"But his hair was practically blonde when I gave birth to him."

"People change."

"People change back, too. His hair is much closer to light brown than dark brown. And it's only gonna get lighter."

"If it started out lighter and got darker as he aged, it's not going to start going backwards, dear. It'll get even darker." Regina's tone was condescending, but she couldn't hold back a smile as she playfully teased Emma.

"I guess we'll see…"

"I guess we will."

"We'll see if he's _smart_ enough to become more like his cool mom."

"His _cool_ mom?" Regina laughed in disbelief. "Wait, which one of us was the one that could make a cupcake appear out of thin air? Oh… right. Me."

Emma rolled her eyes, but allowed for a tiny smile to ebb at the corners of her mouth. They were walking up the stairs to the small apartment that now housed four people, bickering pleasantly as always, this time about their shared son. The drive there had been similar, with mild arguing and the two women laughing at each other. They were both trying their best to put their most recent encounter with Rumpelstiltskin behind them.

"His hair is obviously getting darker, Emma. You must be blind to not see it."

"I'm not blind!" Emma argued. "I just disagree."

"Denial!" Regina sang. "You just hate to admit that he's becoming more like me. Pretty soon, he's going to turn _black. _His hair, I mean."

Emma couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her throat, and she shook her head, still chuckling as she turned the key and opened the door to the apartment. The door swung open and three pairs of eyes immediately turned to the blonde who had just walked in.

"Am I… interrupting something?"

Henry was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal, and Snow and Charming were standing in the kitchen. Their postures and body language suggested that they were just having a pretty serious conversation.

"No! Emma, I'm glad you're home," Snow said quickly, a small smile forming on her face. She could not hide, however, the concern that was masked behind her smile. "What's so funny?"

"Okay, what are you hiding from me? What's going on."

"Nothing!"

"Oh god, your mother always was a terrible liar." Regina rolled her eyes.

"Hey Emma!" Henry called from the table. "How was work?"

"It was good," Emma replied, going over to plant a kiss on the top of Henry's head. "How was school?"

"Boring. As always."

"Did you learn anything new?"

"No." Henry looked up at Emma as if she was crazy. "My teacher never even went to college." All the adults chuckled softly, lightening the tension in the room just a tiny bit.

"Henry," Snow began after a small hesitation.

"Let me guess, you're gonna tell me to go upstairs while you guys have some big serious talk down here," he interrupted. Snow opened and then closed her mouth, sympathy written all over her face. He was a smart kid.

"I'm not a baby anymore. You guys can include me," Henry pleaded.

"We don't think you're a baby, Henry," David spoke up. "This is because we just have to chat with Emma. It just doesn't concern you."

Henry looked back at Emma, disappointment clearly on his face.

"It's okay," Emma reassured him, reminding him with a look that she would tell him everything later. She nodded, then gave him a gentle nudge.

"Fine," he groaned, then trudged upstairs unwillingly.

Both Emma and Regina watched him go, similar expressions on their faces. It was a mixture of regret at having to force him to stay out of the conversation, and pride that he was growing into such a mature young man. When he was safely out of earshot, or so they assumed, Snow walked around the kitchen counter, stirring her mug of tea.

"So, Emma…"

"What is it?"

"I just… wanna talk."

"Oh come on, don't beat around the bush, I know there's something bothering you, I know you guys were just talking about me, I know you're worried about me. Even though your worry is unnecessary, just go ahead. Get it off your chest."

Snow and Charming exchanged a glance.

"It's about Regina."

"Of course it is." Emma let out a frustrated huff. "Why do you guys have to keep bringing her up?"

"I thought you guys hated me," Regina added. "Who knew you were all so obsessed with me." She gave a half smile at her own joke, knowing Emma was the only one who could hear it.

"We just…" Snow sighed. "We're worried. Ever since Regina's death…"

"Oh god," Emma interrupted. "He told you what happened at the station, didn't he?"

"Wha-… I-… you-…" Charming's stuttering gave Emma the answer she needed.

"Nothing even happened!" Her voice almost sounded whiny and she threw her hands up in the air. "You said I was acting weird, I was just talking on the phone."

"Emma…"

"Okay, I wasn't feeling well, too, maybe I'm just coming down with something, it's not a big deal."

"Emma…"

"Stop saying my name like that!" She hissed. "I don't want your damn pity, okay?"

There was a moment of shocked silence at her small outburst.

"Are you… seeing… her again?"

"No!" Emma sighed in frustration. "I told you guys, that was just my imagination. It wasn't even real, okay? It was just once and it never happened again. I'm fine."

It was true, she had convinced her parents of that. It had seemed like the best course of action. They would never believe her, no matter how hard she tried to make them, and they just thought she was crazy. It was better for them to believe that she was sane than to think she was some kind of psychopath.

"You don't have to lie to us, Emma."

"I'm not."

"Could you two be any more condescending? Gosh, they're even worse than I thought!" Regina interjected.

"Look, it's fine if you have been seeing… things," David added lamely. "It's normal, especially after trauma."

"Yes, Emma, you can be honest with us," Snow added. "We can help you. There are a lot of people you would be able to talk to that can help you get over this, Dr. Hopper included. And you like him, you trust him, right?"

"I can't believe this." Regina's voice was rising. "Emma, how can you stand for this?"

Emma's eyes flitted to Regina, then back at her parents. They meant well, she knew that. They both just wanted her to be happy and healthy. But they were doing this all wrong.

"Look, just stop, okay?" She muttered.

"Stop caring about you?" Snow said, her eyes wide.

"Just stop thinking you know what's best for me! I know you're my biological parents, but you didn't raise me! Hell, I just met you guys a couple years ago, you barely even know me! I'm an adult, I'm grown up, I'm smart, I don't need you two making decisions for me. Please… stay out of my life!"

Regina's mouth fell open as she watched the scene play out. Snow and Charming stood there, shell shocked, their faces pale. Hurt and sadness registered clearly on their faces, and Emma immediately felt guilty, but was too frustrated to do anything about it. She just shook her head, ignoring the fact that her mother looked like she was about to cry, and left the apartment, letting the door slam shut behind her.

The wind immediately whipped at her flushed face the second she stepped outside, and she closed her eyes, letting the air cool her down for a minute. Realizing it wasn't helping, Emma stomped over to her car and drove away, no specific destination in mind. A few minutes later, she found herself on an abandoned path leading to the forest. Turning the bug's engine off and undoing her seatbelt, Emma got out of the car.

Her emotions were swirling around her, and it was more than overwhelming. She couldn't handle it. She stumbled into the forest, cheeks burning from frustration, face crumpled with pain. The trees and leafy green plants seemed to swallow her up, hiding any sunlight, providing a shelter for the savior to hide.

She reached a small clearing, and stopped to take a few deep breaths. A tear slid down her cheek as her mother's hurt face swam to the front of her mind. She hadn't meant to sound so cruel, she really hadn't. But her parents were two of the most frustrating people in the world. There was only so much she could take.

Emma sighed and sat down on a fallen log, burying her face in her hands. She felt awful, and she knew she wouldn't be able to shake the feeling until she apologized to her parents. Oh, how she wished they could understand, though. It would be so much easier.

The weight of the day's events hit her hard and she groaned, exhausted, closing her eyes, and shutting out the entire world.

* * *

"Emma."

Emma awoke with a start and groggily rubbed her eyes, sitting up slowly to survey her surroundings. Oh yeah. The forest. She didn't know when or how she had fallen asleep, but apparently she had been sleeping for quite some time. Sprawled out on the mossy ground, she could see the sunlight was fading. It was getting late.

"Emma, are you okay?" She heard the voice again and squinted curiously, trying to spot its owner.

Regina's face slowly came into view, a lovely sight for Emma's sore eyes. She seemed to almost fade in from transparency, and Emma tilted her head, confused, before attributing it to her sleepy state.

"Uh... yeah, I just fell asleep I think." She ran a hand through her mussed hair, finding it was damp and dirty, probably from lying on nature's dirt floor for hours.

"You scared me. I thought something had happened to you."

"Sorry. I... don't even know when I fell asleep. I didn't mean to." She looked at Regina curiously. "Have you been here the whole time?"

"No."

"Where have you been?"

The brunette quickly averted her gaze. "Nowhere."

"Nowhere, huh?" Emma raised an eyebrow, but chose not to pursue Regina's vagueness.

"So are you doing okay?"

"Yeah... I feel horrible though. I need to apologize to my parents ASAP."

"What?" Regina snapped.

"I said, I need to-"

"I heard you. I was just hoping you would correct yourself. You can't seriously be planning to apologize."

"Well, yeah, I am. What I said back there was cruel. I mean, did you see the looks on their faces?" Emma's own face turned sour at the thought.

"Emma, you were right to tell them off. Nothing you said was out of line."

"My parents have good intentions, they..."

"Your parents are idiots!"

"Regina!" Emma stood up, rising to Regina's level, a warning tone in her voice.

"No, Emma, you shouldn't be defending them after what they did to you. They've been treating you horribly and you know it. Don't cut them slack, they don't deserve it."

"Regina, don't rope me into the never-ending feud you have with my parents. This is about right now, don't carry over the grudge you have."

"That's not what this is about!" Regina threw her hands up in the air angrily. "Yes, I already do despise them, but that's not the point! Emma, they were talking to you as if you're crazy. They have no respect for you whatsoever! And you deserve so much more! Can't you see that?!" She groaned frustratedly and forcefully snapped a branch off of a nearby tree, hurtling it across the small clearing.

"Regina," Emma whispered, eyes wide, mouth hanging open.

"What!"

"You... you just threw that stick." Her voice was breathless as she pointed her finger shakily at the small branch across the clearing.

"What are you going to do, sue me? I was angry. I _am_ angry."

"Regina."

"_What_ is your problem, Emma?!"

"You touched the stick."

"I..." Regina was about to let another snide remark slide from her lips when realization dawned on her and her eyes widened. "I touched it."

"Yeah," Emma mirrored her amazed expression, her eyebrows raised almost to her hairline.

"How..." Regina turned to her right, where a small rock was sitting on the ground. With a determined look on her face, she bent down and attempted to grasp the pebble. To her dismay, her lucid hand went straight through it, as if groping thin air.

"Wha...?" Her befuddled expression matched Emma's as she looked up and made eye contact. Emma was as shocked as she was, having no idea what was happening.

Tilting her head curiously, Regina went over to where the thrown branch lay in the dirt. Taking a deep breath, she knelt to the ground, curling her fingers to pick up the defenseless piece of tree. Again, her hand passed straight through the object.

"But... but..." she stammered, staring down at the motionless branch then glancing back up at Emma.

"I know," Emma agreed with Regina's unspoken concern. "You touched it. I saw."

"But now I can't." Regina's face fell.

"But you did. Somehow, in some way, you made yourself touchable for a second. You must be able to make it happen again."

"I have no idea how, though." The brunette's voice was still breathy. "I was angry... and then..."

"You were angry," Emma echoed, a light bulb flashing in her head.

"I was angry!" Regina's eyes widened. "Do you think that's it?"

"That day at Granny's!" Emma suddenly said. "You pushed over like three people and threw a basket of fruit! Because you were angry…"

"Passion, emotion, intense feeling. That's what gives magic a kick start. Maybe this is the same way."

"Wow..." Emma gazed at the small branch in wonder.

"Very interesting," Regina murmured.

"Do it again. Get angry again."

Regina rolled her eyes. "It's not that easy, Emma."

"Oh come on, you are the most emotional, intense person I know. It shouldn't be hard."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Regina's eyes shot daggers.

"Nothing." Emma sighed. "Just conjure up some long hidden anger. I know you have a lot."

"Oh, do I?" The former queen tried not to sound offended.

"Oh come on, my parents have told me a lot about your guys' past. Just think about my mom and how much you hate her."

Regina licked her lips, almost loving the idea of hating Snow White. The pixie-haired girl's face swam to her mind, and her face contorted with hatred. She reached down to grab the branch, only to have her hand once again grasp at thin air.

"Ugh!" She groaned, stomping her foot in a childlike way.

"It's not enough," Emma muttered, then stepped closer to Regina. "You have to really focus on your anger, Regina. You can do this."

Regina's eyes darkened and her nostrils flared slightly as she brought a myriad of unpleasant memories to the surface of her mind. The star of them all was young Snow White, her dark hair bouncing in ringlets, her face pretending to be so innocent. She snarled out loud at the thought.

"Good, Regina, keep going. Get mad," Emma coached, muttering to Regina in a low voice. "Think about how Snow White ruined your life. Think about…" she hesitated, not sure how far she should go. Then she realized she would have to go as far as it took. This was important. "Think about Daniel," she hissed.

When Regina had mentioned that she had loved someone earlier, Emma had had a flash of recognition. Her mother had told her about a stable boy many years ago, one that was romantically involved with Regina, and how she unintentionally got him killed. Emma figured he was most likely the boy Regina was talking about earlier.

Presently, Regina's gaze on the branch faltered a tiny fraction when she realized that Emma knew about Daniel, but she shook it away and regained her focus. Picturing that scene all those years ago when young Snow White had confessed that it was she who told Cora about her relationship with Daniel, Regina felt a long, pent-up rage roll through her chest. That little brat. She had no right to go and ruin people's lives.

Snow's perfect little face taunted her and teased her, singing in that irritating high-pitched voice of hers, rubbing in the fact that Regina's boyfriend was dead. Regina let out a low growl from deep within the confines of her stomach, and red hot anger flashed in her eyes. Her heart began to pound faster and heavier, and her breaths became shorter as the adrenaline took over her system.

Without so much as a second thought, Regina swooped down and grabbed the small branch, closing her hand around the rough wood, squeezing it tightly in a fist. She stood up straight, a victorious smile spreading across her face as she clenched the poor branch like it was the last branch on the planet.

"You did it," Emma breathed wondrously, mirroring Regina's grin.

Regina's smile grew, and she laughed out loud in delight as she felt the roughness of the tree branch scrape her skin. It had been so long since she had physically felt anything, and it was wonderful to finally know the feeling again.

But as her anger dissipated, so did her solidity. In a matter of seconds, the branch fell through Regina's grip and down once again to the ground.

"Dammit," she murmured, but the disappointment was minimal. She had succeeded in holding the stick. And she was sure she could do it again. She just needed practice.

"That was amazing, Regina," Emma said softly.

"Thank you." Regina smiled, but frowned soon after, realizing she was out of breath and exhausted.

"What's wrong?" Emma immediately stepped closer, coming to the other woman's aid.

"Nothing. I just… I guess doing that drained me. All that anger." Regina laughed softly.

"You're tired?"

"Wiped."

"Wait, have you been sleeping since you… since your…"

"No," Regina interrupted, saving Emma from the awkwardness of stating out loud the fact of Regina's current unfortunate condition. "No, I haven't slept. I'm not tired in that sense. I'm just… mentally exhausted, I guess."

"Oh…" Emma blinked, then tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Well, I'm sure you'll get more used to it, with practice. But for now, I think you should give it a rest. We can try again later." Regina nodded, holding back a satisfied smile at the mention of the word "we."

"So… why do your parents keep talking about me, anyways?"

"They're _not_ obsessed with you." Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't be cocky."

"I know they're not." Regina smiled. "That's why I'm asking. And back at the station, David said something, but you stopped him."

"Yeah…"

"I'm curious. I want to know."

"No you don't."

"Maybe I do."

"Trust me." Emma looked up and out toward the endless trees. "You don't want to know."

"Well, I mean, your parents are so worried about your feelings ever since I died, and I think it's natural to wonder why th-"

"I like you, okay?!" Emma blurted out.

"What?" Regina searched Emma's face, clearly caught off guard by Emma's hasty confession.

"God, are you really that oblivious?"

Regina just stared at her, speechless. Was this really happening? She blinked dumbly, so taken aback by Emma's words that she had no idea how to formulate a sentence.

"Forget it," Emma said in a strange voice. "Just forget I said anything." She turned around and began to walk away.

"No, Emma wait."

Emma stopped walking, but didn't turn around. Regina stared at the back of Emma's head for a moment, then rolled her eyes, sighed, and disappeared, reappearing half a second later in front of Emma.

"Jesus!" Emma cried out in surprise. "Stop _doing_ that." A smile tugged at the corners of Regina's mouth and she bit her lip to stop it.

"Emma," she said seriously.

"What."

"I'm dead." Regina's eyes looked sincerely into Emma's green ones. "I'm… gone."

"The first part's true," Emma said with a half shrug. "But the second part's not." Upon seeing Regina speechless once again, Emma pursed her lips, pushed past the brunette, and walked out of the clearing.


	9. Chapter 8

"Emma!" Regina repeated for the millionth time, following her out of the forest. Emma was walking fast, as usual, and Regina hastened to keep up with her.

"What do you want... from me?"

"I want you to stop interrogating me."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"I don't want or expect anything from you, Regina."

"Then why did you just tell me you like me?"

"You practically forced it out of me." Emma narrowed her eyes, continuing to walk out of the forest and toward her car.

"I did not!" Regina protested, walking alongside the blonde.

"Really? All that pestering and probing? You couldn't just let it go?"

Regina didn't speak for a moment as she realized what Emma was saying was right. She hadn't meant to annoy her, though. Well... maybe she had, but only in the most benevolent way possible. They both stopped walking and faced each other.

"You really weren't going to tell me," she said quietly as it dawned on her.

"No, I wasn't."

"But... why?"

"Because... there was no point."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you're dead." There was a chilling silence as Emma stated the truth for the first time out loud. "You don't even mind that you're dead, hell you're happy about it. All you want to do is find a way to get off this earth."

"Emma, that's not-"

"But I'm just getting to know you," Emma continued, not letting Regina finish her sentence. "These past few days, no one has been able to see you except me. We've spent more time together than we ever have before. And we're not fighting over Henry, we're actually enjoying each other's company. And that is all I want from you."

Regina stared at her, speechless once again, her eyes glazed over.

"I just like spending time with you, that's all. I don't..." She took a breath. "I don't want you to leave."

"Emma..." Regina inched closer to the other woman. "I have to go."

"Why," Emma breathed, her eyes large and sad.

"I'm meant to."

"No you're not. That's bullshit."

"I don't belong on this earth anymore. It's no longer my home. I have to move on."

"I refuse to believe that." Emma sucked in a breath, taking a step away from Regina and putting a hand on her car door.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe it? It's true, my time is up."

"Because! You're just... you're fine with it. It's not right."

"I've accepted my situation. It would be pointless to dwell on something that I can't control or change."

"God, why are you always so sensible?" Emma scrunched up her face in annoyance. "Feelings aren't logical. You can't help your feelings. Why are you acting like you can?"

"What do you want me to say? That I'm depressed and angry at the world because I'm dead?"

"No, I just... ugh." Emma shook her head, unable to get the words out.

"What?"

"It just seems like..." Her voice grew quieter. "It seems like you don't care at all that you'll never see anyone from this life ever again."

Regina bit her lip, her face softening at Emma's words.

"This life hasn't been great for me," she said sadly. "There's not many people that I care enough about to miss. Almost everyone that I loved has already passed away."

"What about Henry? What about..." Emma's voice trailed off but both women knew what she was thinking.

"It pains me to no end to think that I'll never be able to talk to him again. My... my baby." Her voice cracked and a tear slipped from her eye. "But I know you'll take good care of him. You love him. And he loves you. He can be happy."

"Regina..." Emma said softly. "Just stay for a little while longer. While you can."

"There's nothing left for me here."

The words hurt Emma. They stabbed her like a sharp knife. Regina realized the effect of her words on Emma's sad eyes and she hesitated, an apologetic look on her face.

"Well, either way, for some reason I am still here, so we don't really have to worry about that now."

"Yeah..." Emma murmured. Her lids lowered, she opened the car door and got in. After starting the engine, she took a deep, slow breath and leaned her head against the headrest for a moment.

"Emma." The blonde's heart jumped subtly at the sound of Regina's voice, not just because she had materialized suddenly inside of her car, but also because she still wasn't used to hearing the mayor say her first name in that beautiful, musical voice of hers.

"What."

Regina looked sincerely into Emma's light, beautiful eyes for a second, then looked down at her hands. She took a deep breath, letting a pocket of cool breath slip out from between her red lips, and then looked back over at Emma, sitting in the driver's seat, looking back at Regina curiously. The brunette slowly rose her left hand and moved it closer and closer to Emma until it was inches from Emma's right hand, which was resting innocently on her own thigh. Emma watched, lips parted, heart beating rapidly.

Regina closed her eyes in concentration, her brows knitted with emotion, and felt a force pulse through her body. She sighed slowly, and opened her eyes again, letting a single tear drop. Then, without waiting another second, she closed the distance between their hands, letting her left hand rest comfortably on top of Emma's.

Emma inhaled quickly when she felt the contact, felt Regina's soft flesh resting on the back of her hand. She closed her eyes and just soaked it in, trying to absorb and remember the wonderful feeling of Regina's skin on hers.

A small smile appeared on Regina's pale face as she, too, relished the warmth of Emma's hand underneath hers. It did not, however, mask the deep sadness written into the mayor's big eyes.

Emma let a tiny smile grace her mouth as well, and she turned her hand over, letting her warm palm connect with Regina's. Electricity seemed to spark between them as they sat there silently, enjoying the small moment. Regina squeezed gently, sending a wave of comfort and companionship through Emma's heart, and then just like that, the feeling was gone as quickly as it came.

Regina retracted her arm, letting her hands rest on her lap once again, and leaned back in the seat, closing her tired eyes. Emma watched her, wanting to say something, anything, but having no clue of what to say.

"Sorrow," Regina breathed softly, in response to Emma's unasked question. "Apparently anger isn't the only emotion strong enough to allow me to touch things." She snuck a sideways glance at Emma. "Or people."

Emma didn't say anything, just bit her lip, her face unreadable.

"You should probably get back home. Your parents will be worried."

"Since when do you care about my parents?" Emma was skeptical.

"I don't," Regina replied. "But you do. I'm just trying to help."

Emma sighed. "I'm not sure they will want to see me after the way I treated them."

"They're your parents." Regina rolled her eyes. "And even though it irritates me to no end, they are the most forgiving people I have ever met."

"That irritates you?" Emma rose her eyebrows in disbelief.

"You're their daughter, Emma. They love you. Yeah, they're a little hurt probably, but they'll get over it. They don't want to lose you again, believe me."

"How do you know that? How do you know they don't resent me for the person I became? I'm not a perfect little princess like they imagined me to be. I'm far from it. I'm sure they're disappointed."

"Oh, please." Regina rolled her eyes a second time.

"What?!"

"Do you want to be a princess?"

"Ha. No way."

"Then why are we even having this conversation."

Emma bit her lip, keeping her eyes trained on the road in front of her. The fear that she was a huge disappointment to her royal parents did sometimes keep her up at night. But Regina was right. Even if she had grown up in the Enchanted Forest, she would have hated being a princess. It just wasn't... her. No amount of coaxing or encouraging by Snow White could have made her like it any better.

"I still don't wanna go home yet," Emma said childishly, her lips pouting.

"I suppose I don't blame you," Regina shrugged. "So... where are we going?"

"I've got a few ideas..." Emma smiled to herself. "But first we have to make a stop."

* * *

"Hey, Emma, what's up? Everything okay? You sounded a little weird on the walkie," Henry commented in his innocent voice as he bounded up to the yellow bug.

"Yeah kid, everything's fine. Hop in."

Henry put his hand on the door handle to the passenger seat, instinctively about to open it, when Emma stopped him.

"Nu uh. Backseat, mister."

"Oh!" The boy's eyes lit up when realization hit him. "Hi mom!"

"Hi, sweetheart," Regina gave a little chuckle and turned around in her seat to look at her son.

"She says hi," Emma said with a grin as she drove off.

"So... what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on, why does something have to be going on?"

"Ma... you're acting kinda weird."

"I am?"

"Yeah... when you guys were having your secret conversation, I tried my best to listen but I couldn't really hear. But afterward, when I came downstairs, you were gone and Grandma was crying. What happened?"

"Oh god... how long was she crying?"

"Not long. Prince Charming comforted her."

"Of course," Regina commented with a sarcastic eye roll.

"I just... got into a little disagreement with my parents. Nothing to worry about," Emma said, trying not to sound too worried.

"About my mom?"

Emma hesitated. "...Yeah."

"They don't believe you, do they?"

"Henry." Emma parked the car and twisted around in her seat to face her son. "Listen to me. You can't talk to them about Regina. You can't tell them I'm still seeing her. They... it's complicated. Do you understand?"

"Not really." Henry scrunched up his face. "But I won't."

"Thanks." Emma let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding onto. "Okay, let's go."

"Go where?" both Regina and Henry echoed. Emma grinned at the mother-son similarity, and simply got out of the car, indicating with a tilt of her head for them to follow her.

"Did you bring what I told you?"

"Sure did." Beaming, Henry pulled two wooden swords out of his backpack and stared at them lovingly.

"Oh no," Regina said, a smile tugging at her pursed mouth. "This can't be good."

"Come on, let's go down to the beach," Emma laughed. "I'll race you guys! Ready set go!" she yelled, then took off running.

"Hey, wait!" Henry protested, sprinting as fast as his little legs could carry him.

"Sucker!" Emma laughed happily, seeing the crashing waves in front of her. All of a sudden, Regina appeared on the sand in front of her, a victorious smile on her face.

"I win!"

Emma's mouth dropped open. "You cheated! No... teleporting, or whatever you call it."

"Didn't hear that in the rules," Regina said smugly.

"Your... legs... are longer... not... fair..." Henry huffed, finally arriving at the beach, bending over to regain some composure.

"Doesn't matter, kid," Emma said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Your mom beat us both."

"What?" Henry asked, confused. "Mom's not fast."

"She doesn't have to be."

"Ohh..." A lightbulb went off inside his head as he realized what had happened. "Awesome!"

"Yeah, kid," Emma chuckled, and ruffled his hair. He smiled up at her. "So, where is she now?"

"Right over here." Emma gestured with her hand to where Regina was standing, to Henry's left. He turned to where Emma had pointed, and looked up to what he guessed would be Regina's eye level. Both women chuckled when he overshot it by a mile.

"So Henry..." Emma began, stealing back his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Since David gave you all the awesome sword-fighting lessons, and since I'm still fairly new with the sword, I was thinking maybe you could show me some techniques."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I thought it'd be fun."

"Yeah! I'm basically an expert. I can help you!"

"Great! Let's get started then." Emma swiped one of the wooden swords from Henry's grip and tried to twirl it between her fingers, only to have it fall to the ground hopelessly. Regina covered her mouth to keep from laughing, but Henry didn't try as hard to cover up his laugh.

"Just get a feel for the sword," Henry said, tossing his own from hand to hand. "Get used to how you hold it and stuff."

"I'm used to a gun, not a sword. It feels weird."

"Just relax," Henry coached. "It's in your blood. Once you get comfortable, you'll be amazing, it'll come to you so quickly, I know it. Besides, you've used a sword before, haven't you?"

"Yeah but... it was pure adrenaline," Emma countered. She shifted her grip on the handle, swooping the air with the sword a couple times.

"There ya go!" Henry said with a smile.

"Oh god," Regina muttered, watching.

"What is it?" Emma stopped to look curiously over at the brunette.

"Nothing, it's just... you look scarily like your father right now." Emma smiled involuntarily and looked down at the sword in her hands.

"What'd she say?" Henry said curiously.

"She says I look like David," Emma explained, still smiling.

"Let's see if you can fight like him!" Henry exclaimed, and without warning, poked Emma in the gut with the long wooden weapon.

"Hey!" Emma cried out, and brandished the sword, fighting back playfully. Laughter and shouts filled the salty air as they fought each other happily. The crescent moon shone down on the dark waves, reflecting off of the surface of the murky water and casting joyous light upon Emma and Henry's faces as they played around.

It really was a beautiful sight, mother and son having such a spirited time just doing simple things, just spending time together. The waves lapped gently at the sandy shore and crickets chirped happily, creating a perfect scene for the three of them.

Regina watched her family, a smile painted onto her face. It was the happiest she had felt in a long time.

"Ey, Regina!"

The brunette perked up when she heard her name called, the voice slightly out of breath from physical activity.

"Your kid's beating me up. Give me a hand?"

Regina smirked. "Not a chance. Actually... I think I'll take the opposite approach."

"Wha..." Emma's question went unfinished as she watched Regina step closer to Henry and close her eyes for a second, her face focused and determined, the small smile never disappearing from her lips.

"Oh my gosh!" Henry exclaimed loudly when his sword all of a sudden flew out of his hands and appeared to be floating in thin air. He shook his head in amazement, grinning from ear to ear. "Awesome!"

Suddenly, without any prior warning, the harmless wood changed position and jabbed Emma in the ribs.

"Ow! Jesus Regina, really?!"

"This is fun," Regina laughed. The sword continuously punched Emma in different spots, causing Emma to flinch every second and unsuccessfully try to fend off her attacker.

"Regina, that tickles!" Emma exclaimed for the millionth time, laughing almost as hard as her son, protesting endlessly, unable to stop laughing. Henry was doubled over with laughter, more than entertained by the scene in front of him.

"You go, mom!" he yelled, cracking up. "Ma, you suck!"

"Oh, don't think you're off the hook, young man." Regina turned to Henry, her next poor, unsuspecting victim, and within seconds he was the one blindly fighting off the wooden sword, giggling like a madman.

All three of them play-fought well into the night, laughing like maniacs for what felt like hours and hours and hours.

* * *

**A/N: There, a bit of fluff for you guys. I have to admit, I couldn't keep a smile off my face while I was writing this. They're such a cute family.**

**Next chapter... back to the angst. Prepare yourselves! Oh, and again, THANK YOU so much for all your lovely reviews!**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello lovely readers! I know I said like a million years ago that I was almost finished with Chapter 9, so I'm sorry it took forever for me to actually post it! I just moved away from home and into college this past weekend so it's been crazy, and the internet was being ridiculously stupid, so I've had barely any access to wifi since I've gotten here. But I finally got it all figured out so hopefully it's all good now! Thanks so much for being patient! **

* * *

"Unnffff."

The thin curtains covering Emma's window rustled gently, allowing complicated patterns of buttery sunlight to pool on the wooden floor of the bedroom. The window was set slightly open, letting the natural sounds and smells of the outside world flow inside. Birds chirped excitedly, acting as a gentle wake up call for Emma Swan.

"Nnnnng." She let out another muffled moan from the bed, then finally detached her face from her pillow and opened her eyes, only to squint upon seeing the bright sunlight. She flipped over so that she was lying on her back, and let out a tired sigh, blinking slowly. As grogginess ever-so-slowly ebbed away and she caught up with the living breathing world, she recalled the events from the night before.

When she, Regina, and Henry had finally arrived home, it was extremely late, and contrary to expectation, Snow and Charming had still been awake. Emma had purposely stayed out late, hoping her parents would be fast asleep when they returned, but her efforts were to no avail. They were sitting solemnly in the kitchen when the three of them, still laughing happily, bustled noisily into the apartment.

"Oh..." Emma stopped suddenly upon seeing her parents. "You guys are still up. I... I though you would be asleep."

"We... couldn't sleep," Snow said softly, standing up and facing the new arrivals.

"Emma..." Regina started, stepping forward.

Emma shut her eyes, not wanting to hear Regina's assertions that she should not apologize, that she should just shut herself off from her parents forever. She didn't want that.

_Please, Regina. Don't. Please, just don't, _she thought. She couldn't handle that right now. Her eyes flickered over to where Regina was standing and to her surprise, the brunette looked empathetic.

"Go on, make up with them." Her voice was soft, and her eyes sincere. Emma opened her mouth, trying not to stare too long at Regina, but surprised by what she heard.

"I'm serious," Regina continued. "I know you want to."

Emma allowed a small smile to appear, then looked up at her parents.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Oh Emma..." Snow cried, and pulled her daughter in for a warm embrace.

"All those awful things I said, I didn't mean them," Emma whimpered into her mother's shoulder. "I felt so bad after I said them, but I just couldn't face you guys, I just couldn't."

Charming stepped forward and joined the hug, wrapping his strong arms around the two women.

"It's okay, Emma," he murmured.

"No, it's not. I hurt you guys."

"We're just happy you came back and apologized," Snow said with a smile, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Me too," Emma smiled.

"Hey, can I get in on this hug?" Henry jumped in, his voice hopeful. They all chuckled and Emma extended her arm out to her son. "Get in here, kid."

He happily ran up to his family and snuggled into the middle, enjoying the love and comfort emanating from the three adults. Regina watched, her mouth smiling but her eyes sad.

It had all worked out just fine, much better than expected, and Emma smiled, hugging her pillow, extremely relieved that she was on good terms with her parents again. As her morning grogginess finally left her, she sat up in bed and cocked her ear.

Was someone crying? Emma looked around the room. Soft sobs could be heard from inside the bedroom, but she could not locate the source.

"Regina?" Emma said tentatively, raising an eyebrow. No answer.

"Regina!" she said again, louder this time.

"What?" Suddenly she was there, right next to Emma's bed. Emma looked up at her searchingly, lines appearing on her forehead. Regina definitely looked like she had been crying. Her eyes were still glassy and wet, not to mention the red rims around them. Her cheeks were blushed with emotion and she was still sniffling.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean what happened? Nothing happened." Regina swiped a hand across her cheek, trying to wipe away all traces of tears.

"Regina." Emma threw the covers off and stood up so that she was face to face with the other woman.

"What." Her voice still showed signs of cracking.

"_What happened_." Emma's tone was urgent, and worried. Regina sighed and looked out the window, moisture brimming at her eyes once again.

"Where did you go?" Emma tried again. "Regina, whatever it is, I want to help."

"You can't help," Regina whispered.

"Just talk to me. It'll help to get it off your chest." Still, Regina wasn't convinced. "Was it a nightmare? Did you have a bad dream?"

"No," she replied shakily. "I don't sleep, remember?"

"Oh... right." Emma bit her lip, then took a step back, waiting for Regina to tell her whatever made her so inexplicably sad.

"Do you..." Regina paused a moment when her voice came out shakier than she expected. "Do you ever wonder what I do when I'm not with you? When you're asleep?"

"You don't stand creepily over my bed and watch me sleep?" Emma's eyes twinkled, but Regina didn't crack a smile.

"No..."

Emma cocked her head as she thought about it. Where _did_ Regina go when she wasn't with Emma? Granted, she was with her the majority of the time, but when she wasn't, where was she? Emma scratched her head. She _had_ wondered about this very subject a few times, but Regina had brushed it off each time like it was nothing.

"I guess I just figured you go home and... do stuff. Or walk around town. I don't know." Regina raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Haunt the people you hate?" Emma tried again.

This time, Regina did let a small smile tug at her lips. "No," she said. "But we should add that to the list."

"It would be a long list," Emma rolled her eyes. "But okay, enough guessing games. Tell me what's going on."

"I... I don't even know if you'll believe me."

"Regina, I'm seeing the ghost of your dead self. I think I'll believe anything you say."

"Alright..." Regina took a deep breath. "I've been... reliving my life, in a sense."

"Reliving your life?!" Emma's eyes widened. "Do you mean like... time travel?"

"No, nothing like that." Regina shook her head. "It's hard to explain."

"Try," Emma persisted, her green eyes large and imploring.

"Okay, um... I'm kind of traveling back to scenes from my past. I'm not reliving every single thing that happened, just the important parts."

"Like... on purpose?"

"No, of course not. I don't know how it happens or why, but it just... happens. One second I'm here with you, and then when you fall asleep, bam, I'm there. It's like I'm watching it all play out though. I don't watch it from my own perspective, I'm just standing there watching myself do something, or talk to someone."

"Wow," Emma breathed. "How long has this been going on?"

"Ever since the beginning, I guess. Since I died."

"But why didn't you tell me before?"

"I don't know, I didn't think it was a big deal. And I didn't want to worry you."

"Jesus." Emma slowly sat down on the bed, trying to process this new information. "The last memory you... relived, or whatever... it was a really sad one, wasn't it? That's why you were crying."

"...Yes."

Emma's voice softened. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Regina paused. Did she want to talk about it? She wasn't sure. On one hand, it was a memory she had kept hidden deep inside her for years, one that she had tried to forget due to the overwhelming grief it caused. But on the other hand, it might be nice to talk about it, get it off her chest.

She bit her lip and shook her head. Maybe another time. She wasn't ready yet.

"I... I'm sorry, Regina."

"What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything."

"I'm just sorry you have to go through that."

"It's okay," she sighed, looking out the window again.

"What do you think it means?"

"I don't know," Regina murmured, sitting down beside Emma on the bed. "It probably doesn't mean anything."

"It has to mean _something_," Emma pondered. "I wonder if this is magic's doing, or if it's... something else. The something that's keeping you here."

"I doubt it's magic. I've never heard of anyone using magic to relive scenes from their past. And I certainly wouldn't know how."

"Well, obviously you didn't do it. So someone else did. I wonder who."

"That's if we are assuming it is magic, which I _just_ said it's not."

"Whatever. I'm not ruling it out."

"Emma Swan, you are the most stubborn person I've ever met."

"Thanks." Emma's grin flashed from ear to ear.

"That _wasn't_ a compliment."

"Correction. It wasn't _intended_ to be a compliment. But I took it as a compliment. And subconsciously, you meant it as a compliment, too."

Regina laughed, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. "You're joking, right?"

"Not at all." Emma held her gaze, sitting a mere few inches away from the brunette.

"I think you're forgetting something. _You_ confessed your feelings for _me._ Not the other way around."

"Well _I_ think you're in denial, _Madame Mayor_."

"Of what? My feelings for you?" Regina's voice was skeptical and a mocking smile graced her lips.

"You don't want to admit it because you think you have to go, to pass on or whatever. And you don't want the heartbreak."

"Wha..."

"Deny it all you want." Emma's voice grew softer as she leaned in closer to the other woman. They sat side by side on the bed, but Regina's head was turned toward Emma, and Emma's whole torso was turned toward Regina. She leaned in even closer, letting her hand gently brush over Regina's, and smiled, wondering which strong emotion the older woman was experiencing at the moment.

"I know it's true," she whispered. Regina breathed in, feeling Emma's cool breath drift across her own mouth. She parted her lips slightly, just blinking, her tongue seemingly tied up. She physically could not speak as Emma gazed at her, her face inches away, green eyes searching her face.

"I..." Regina stuttered, her voice coming out much dryer than she expected.

"That's what I thought," Emma breathed, smiling victoriously before breaking her gaze and standing up, heading out of the bedroom and toward the bathroom.

Regina sat there on the bed, opening and closing her mouth wordlessly. She was stunned. What had just happened to make her freeze up like that? She put a hand over her heart, which was thumping wildly. She felt uncomfortably warm, and she touched her cheek with the back of her hand, feeling the heat spread quickly on her face.

She shook her head and took a deep breath, trying to steady the erratic beating of her heart. It wasn't true. It couldn't be. Regina closed her eyes, pushing out of her head the fact that Emma Swan was the cause of all these feelings.

"Regina," Emma called from the doorway. Regina quickly turned around at the sound of her voice. Emma was dressed now, her usual jeans and boots on, and was pulling on a jacket, her cell phone in her hand.

"I've gotta go to work." She gestured to her phone.

"Okay."

"Are you... I mean, are the memories gonna start up again if I leave?"

"Um... yes. Yes, they are." Regina stood up, regaining her composure.

"Wow. So... every time you're not with me, that's when it happens?"

"Why do you think I've been following you around?" Regina replied with a dry smile.

"You could come with me, if you want. I mean... it's not like there's much for me to do, I'm not that busy."

"I don't doubt it." Regina pursed her lips. "However, this... whatever is happening to me... can't just be avoided."

"Well, what happens when you finish reliving your life? What happens when you get up to the point when..." Her voice trailed off.

"I don't know. I guess we'll see."

"Hmm." Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Go to work," Regina said, gesturing with her hand. "I'll be fine. The town needs its sherriff."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Go," she said, smiling to convince her that it was alright.

"Okay," she said reluctantly, suddenly feeling awkward standing there in the doorway of her bedroom. She turned to go, then hesitated, looking back into the room. "How will you... I mean, how do I find you again? If you'll be... wherever you'll be."

"Don't worry," Regina smiled reassuringly. "I have more control when you're awake. I can come back here when I want."

"You can?"

"Yes. When you're sleeping, I'm pretty much stuck until you wake up. But now, it'll be fine."

"Okay. I'll... be at the station."

"All right."

The moment Emma walked out of the room and downstairs, Regina immediately felt the familiar tug, the nagging pull away from reality. She fought it as long as she could, focusing her energy on staying strong, staying right where she was. But the minute she heard the door slam and watched Emma drive away through the window, she could fight it no longer.

She sighed a ragged breath as Emma's small bedroom swam before her eyes and before she knew it, she was in her childhood bedroom. The younger version of herself was lying on her four poster bed, tears streaming silently down her face, staring at the ceiling.

Young Regina gripped a small metal ring in her hands, holding her hands to her mouth to try to muffle her sobs. The tears were relentless, though, and they pooled over her cheeks, dampening her pillows.

"Regina, you must stop this blubbering." Cora, appearing in a puff of purple smoke, pursed her lips and shook her head, looking down at her sobbing daughter.

"Go away, mother," Regina sobbed, turning her body so that her back was facing Cora.

"Daughter, I'm trying to help you, can't you see that? Crying won't do any good. I did you a favor. You must accept that and trust that I am right. Daniel would have just led you down a path of misery."

"Don't say his name." The young girl suddenly sat up, snarling the words through gritted teeth. "You killed him." Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke the words out loud.

"And now you can marry the king and live a life full of riches and power. That's all I ever wanted for you, Regina. I worked so hard to get you here."

"I don't want that," Regina cried for what felt like the thousandth time. She fell dejectedly back down onto the bed, letting her head hit the pillow with a thud. "I just want Daniel..." she whispered.

"Well you can't have him," Cora said sharply. She walked up to Regina's bed and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to stand up. "Now pull yourself together, you foolish girl, or there will be major consequences." She raised her eyebrows threateningly, then turned and walked away.

"You can't force me to marry the king, Mother!" Regina cried out after her. "I won't do it!"

"Oh, you stupid, stupid girl." Cora turned around in surprise. "I cannot _believe_ you just said that." She glared into Regina's dark brown eyes. Then, all of a sudden, ropes appeared out of nowhere and bound Regina's entire body until she could barely breathe. She gasped and spluttered for air, eyes wide and fearful.

"See?" Cora smiled. "I _can_ force you." She gave a little laugh and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

As soon as the door clicked shut, the ropes binding Regina's arms and legs tightly to her body fell loose and disappeared as soon as they hit the floor. The young girl let out one last sob, letting her arms and legs finally relax. Her face contorted with despair, she examined the welt marks on her limbs that did not, in fact, disappear along with the ropes.

"No..." she whispered, more tears cascading down her face. She shook her head vigorously, in denial of what her future was destined to be. She had no choice in the matter, had no ability to choose what her life was going to look like. And it frustrated her to no end.

Present day Regina watched her younger self express her anger and sadness, her face stony, long-hidden despair and outrage etched within her features. She gritted her teeth, hating this painful reminder of an awful past. No tears fell from Regina's now mature, more experienced eyes. She had done enough crying.

The deep hole in her heart, though... that was unfixable.

Shaking her head from the unpleasant thoughts, Regina decided she wanted out. She had reached a most horrible time in her life to relive, and she had had enough painful memories today. She couldn't handle anything else.

There was, however, the problem of getting back. She had lied to Emma earlier. Coming back when Emma was awake was not easy. It was possible, yes, but extremely difficult. When the sherriff was asleep, though, it was indeed impossible for Regina to get back to the earth until she woke up. For whatever reason, one Regina still did not understand, she could not be in the real world if she was not with an awake Emma. Once Emma fell asleep, or went to a different place, Regina had nothing holding her to the earth. It was as if she lost all gravity when Emma wasn't there. And Regina had no idea why.

"_Focus, Regina_," she told herself, clenching her fists desperately. She closed her eyes, picturing her home. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes, only to find she was unsuccessful. She was still in her old bedroom, accompanied by a quietly crying young Regina.

"_Focus..._" she repeated shakily, squeezing her eyes shut, trying with all her might to imagine Storybrooke, her mansion, her son, her town. It wasn't working. Frustrated, she breathed in, biting her lip. All of a sudden, Emma came to her mind. It was an arbitrary thought, but for a reason she couldn't name, she held onto it. She pictured Emma sitting in the sherriff's station, leaning back in her chair, messily eating a donut. She pictured the woman's cascading blonde hair, she pictured her green eyes, she pictured the badge Emma wore so proudly. It all focused sharply in her mind, and it was so effortless.

She opened her eyes. Letting out a small relieved sigh, Regina let a tiny smile grace her lips. It had worked. The scene she was so vividly imagining just seconds ago was now reality. Success felt _so_ good. But not as good as the sound of a certain someone's voice coming from behind her...

"Oh hey Regina."

She twirled around quickly, and the sight of the blonde sherriff sitting haphazardly on the chair with a lazy smile on her face made Regina break out into a huge grin that she couldn't even help if she wanted to.

Yep. She was home.


End file.
